


Killing Me Softly

by EndoratheWitch



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman: The Animated Series, Harleen Quinzel - Fandom, Harley Quinn (Comics), Suicide Squad (2016), The Joker - Fandom
Genre: Arkham Asylum, Complicated Relationships, Drug Addiction, F/M, Fresh outta school, Horses, Nightmares, Non-abusive Joker and Harley, Period-Typical Sexism, Psychologists & Psychiatrists, Reporters, Smut, Spiders, Starting a new job, her first year at Arkham, pryromania
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2020-07-31 01:36:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 135,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20107024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EndoratheWitch/pseuds/EndoratheWitch
Summary: Harleen Quinzel starts her new job at Arkham Asylum





	1. Arriving at Arkham

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RoyalFlushGang](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoyalFlushGang/gifts).

It was in Gotham City, October 6th, 1975, and Harleen Quinzel… 

No, wait, Harleen thought as she drove continuing her inner narration… 

Dr. Harleen Quinzel, new resident of Gotham City, was here to start at her new position as a doctor of psychiatry at Arkham Asylum. Today was the start of her new life, an exciting life filled with tough cases and office romance! 

Harleen grinned at herself in the rearview mirror. She had pulled her long blonde hair back into a severe bun and added some large, dark framed glasses that lessened the blue of her eyes a little (which she didn’t need much, but thought they made her look less like a bubble headed blonde and more like a doctor.) That was at least how she hoped this story was going to be, the novel of her life. She felt a welling of excitement as this was her chance to make a difference in the world, a difference in the lives of the poor souls who suffered from mental illness. Soon all of Arkham, Gotham and then the world would know Dr. Quinzel’s name because of the advances she would make in the area of the mind. Dr. Harleen Quinzel was going to help cure the poor souls that resided in Arkham Asylum starting today. And then she was going to marry another successful doctor and have some brilliant kids. This was her first step toward that perfect future. 

Harleen grinned at herself in her rearview mirror again. She knew she was being a bit idealistic. Her mother had told her she was only one woman, and it was hard for a woman to make a difference in the world, especially the medical world, but Harleen was determined to try, determined to prove everyone wrong. She had graduated with honors in her class, and had been one of only a few women in that class, but she felt optimism for herself and the women in the field of medicine. And those guys who had said she wouldn’t make it, they could put a sock in it because here she was...with a job at the famous Arkham Asylum. 

Arkham Asylum was located on its own island, separated from the city by a broad expanse of water and only accessible by one bridge. The drive to the gate was about half a mile on a strip of road that was surprisingly lacking in traffic. Harleen knew that several of the workers and doctors actually lived on the island in a series of dormitories--and a few houses for the tenured physicians--that were provided for the staff. She had been offered her own place on the island too, when she had been offered the job, which she had taken because the rent was half of what she could find living in the city. She had tried to find an apartment, but she just couldn’t afford the rent for anything larger than a small closet in the dankest, darkest hole in Gotham. And besides, she had thought when she took the offer at Arkham, she could still drive into Gotham on her days off. It might be good for her to live on the asylum grounds, good for her patients, for the people she wanted to help; she could be on-call at any time. 

She pulled her brand new red Pacer (which was packed dangerously full with her belongings) up to the gate of the asylum and stopped the vehicle, her eyes wide. The gate to Arkham Asylum was an iron fence that ran around the entire asylum (not the entire island though she had read that rocks and cliffs made it impossible to get off the island, except by the one road) which sat on 150 acres of land, the rest of the island was forested. It had been here since the place was first established in 1874 by Amadeus Arkham. It was a tribute of sorts, as well as a request for forgiveness. Amadeus Arkham’s wife had suffered from schizophrenia which eventually took her life. Amadeus Arkham had done everything in his power to save her, but had failed. The construction of Arkham Asylum was to help others like his wife, a testament to his love--and his failure Harleen supposed. 

She could see a guard house on the other side of the gate and she could see a figure inside, but she couldn’t see if it was a man or a woman, only a shadow. Beyond that she could see the large forested hill and the single road that ran all the way up to the very top, with trees everywhere. The place would have been beautiful if not for the giant shadowy structure that sat crouched at the top of the hill looking down on them from over the tops of the trees. Arkham Asylum resembled a large Victorian castle on top of the hill. She couldn’t see any real details of the place from where she sat in her car from this distance, though the morning mist from the bay was already thinned out to almost nothing, but she knew for a fact that the asylum was massive. The heart of Arkham Asylum was a large Victorian building with a strange configuration of towers and levels with multiple buildings spreading out form the core. Arkham was one of the biggest asylums in the country with some of the most interesting cases of madness (Harleen corrected herself, not madness, but rather mental illness) to date. 

Harleen grinned with excitement and anticipation, ignoring that thread of cold that ran down her back. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by the glaring sound of loud static. She glanced at the guard house then turned toward the intercom at the gate as the gravelly voice on the other end that might have been male asked. 

“Visiting? Visiting hours do not start until 9 a.m.” 

Harleen rolled her window down and leaned out toward the intercom, which was a little speaker with a red button with a sign underneath that read “Push for Entrance.” She pushed the button to reply, glancing toward the shadow in the guard house. “No, ah, I’m Dr. Harleen Quinzel--I’m supposed to start today.” She released the button. 

“Just a moment,” the voice on the other end said. 

Harleen waited, tapping her fingers against the side of her door looking up at the name of the asylum written out in metal over the top of the gate. It was very Victorian and very creepy she thought with a frown. She could only imagine what it must look like at night. The gate made her think of all those horror movies she used to watch as a kid, the black and white kind like The House on Haunted Hill. Harleen grinned, she always had a crush on Vincent Price; there was just something about really tall, thin men with aristocratic voices and sharp suits. 

To distract herself while she waited for the shadow in the guard house to confirm she was expected, Harleen started to hum, tapping against the metal of her door. After a few seconds she began to sing softly under her breath. 

“Love 

Love will keep us together 

Think of me babe, whenever 

Some sweet-talking girl comes along, singing her song 

Don't mess around, you've just got to be strong, just stop 

'Cause I really love you, stop 

I'll be thinking of you 

Look in my heart and let love keep us together…” 

* 

Harleen started to groove with the song, weaving her shoulders and had just begun to get into the next verse. “You, You belong to me now…” 

The static made her jump again, followed by the same voice saying: “Welcome to Arkham Asylum Dr. Quinzel. I’ll be there to open the gate for you in just a minute.” 

The voice cut off and Harleen looked at the intercom, wondering if she should press the button and say thank you, but decided against it. She turned her attention back to the gate. The guard house gate opened and a man came out. He was wearing what resembled a police uniform--blue shirt, black slacks, black tie and black shoes. He was even wearing a police style hat except it read Arkham Asylum across the front of it. Harleen frowned when she saw that the man had a gun in a shiny leather holster on his side, as well as a baton, and a small spray can of what she thought must be Mace. 

Harleen watched as the man unlocked the gate and slowly pulled them open, first one side then the other before he motioned her to drive through. Harleen did, stopping when the man held his hand out and walked over to her driver’s side window. 

“Can I see some ID Dr. Quinzel? Just to be sure,” he explained with a smile. The name tag he wore over his left breast read Simmons. 

“Oh sure, of course.” Harleen reached over for her purse, which was sitting in her passenger seat. She found her wallet quickly and pulled out her driver’s licence. Simmons examined it, then handed it back with a smile. “Nice to meet you Dr. Quinzel. Welcome to Arkham Asylum.” 

Harleen smiled. “Thanks, I’m looking forward to working here.” 

Simmons nodded and pointed up the drive. “Just go up the road and take a right that will lead you to the parking lot, then just head in through the front. The main office will be immediately to your right. There’s a sign too--you can’t miss it.” He smiled and tipped his hat before walking away heading back to the gate which he began to close behind her. 

Harleen started up the road, glancing in her rearview mirror watching the guard close the gate. It was a little ominous she thought, being locked up in here with no way off the island except this one road. 

Harleen shuddered at her own thoughts. Too dark, Harleen, she chided herself, but turned her focus back to the forested road that led up to the asylum. 

* 

The drive up was beautiful she decided, dismissing her darker thoughts earlier. The trees grew in dense thickets, giving the entire place an old world feel, like she was driving in the forest where Hansel and Gretal became lost, or where Baba Yaga’s walking house would come crashing through on its chicken legs at any moment. Harleen could imagine on rainy days or earlier in the mornings when the fog was thicker, the entire place would look spooky, especially this time of the year. 

She frowned a little at the thought, but then quickly ignored it because today was a cloudy day, but there was still enough sun peaking through the clouds that the rays of light were dispelling many of the deep shadows and began to burn off the little mist that remained. 

Harleen arrived at the front of the asylum where she could see steps that led up to the large wooden, heavy looking double doors. She turned and headed toward the parking lot where she could see several vehicles parked, including a transport van, a large, old yellow school bus with Arkham Asylum written in big black letters on the side. She found a visitors’ parking space and parked her Pacer. Before she got out of her car, she pulled her purse over, withdrew her compact and checked the little bit of makeup she wore--just a little mascara, light eyeshadow, just enough to give her a little color, powder and a light pink frost, just enough color… 

She ran her hand over her hair to make sure it was all pulled back, her glasses in place. “You look like a doctor Harleen, don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not a doctor.” She nodded at herself, then closed her purse and got out of her car. 

She wore a pair of polyester knit high waisted and wide leg slacks in light blue with a white button down shirt with a short double-breasted black pea coat and a pair of plain white chunky square heeled oxfords. She didn’t have a lot of professional looking clothing just yet, just a few pieces that she hoped made her look like a real doctor. Her mother had offered to take her shopping, but she knew her parents couldn’t afford to buy her clothing, but she appreciated the fact that they wanted to. 

Harleen took a deep breath through her nose and let it out slowly. She slid her purse up her arm to her shoulder, tucking it under her arm and headed toward the main body of the asylum. 

* 

The inside of the main building had the typical, cheap linoleum floors that could be seen in any hospital anywhere, the typical white and speckled grey. The walls were painted, half hospital light green, with the upper half white, but the walls were covered with images, photos of black and white, as well as color photos of the asylum and the staff through the years. As Harleen made her way to the office she could see that each of the group staff photos had the year posted at the bottom, starting with a yellowed black and white image from 1879 to the most recent photo from 1974. Near the office door she saw photos of the asylum directors through the years. She noticed instantly that every director starting with Amadeus Arkham was an Arkham, all the way down to the present director, Jeremiah Arkham. 

Harleen frowned. “Well, so much for advancement, unless I marry an Arkham.” 

She narrowed her eyes as she looked at Jeremiah Arkham’s image. He wasn’t an attractive man--skinny, with glasses, and balding… 

There was something about his eyes too that made Harleen think weak-willed. No, she didn’t think she and Dr. Arkham would really have any, ah...she frowned and found the word, fire. Harleen giggled to herself with a shudder before she reached for the door marked main office. 

* 

The main office of the asylum was covered with a horrible beige carpet, the walls painted a dull shade of peach, and the two chairs were a pale shade of burnt yellow. There was a painting on the wall of the asylum by the chairs and another that was a painting of a sad hobo clown that Harleen thought might be of the clown Emmert Kelly, who played the clown Weary Willie. A woman sat behind a desk in front of another door that bore a bronze name plate with Dr. Jermiah Arkham carved into the shiny plate. 

The woman at the desk reminded Harleen of a teacher she had who taught home economics at her high school. She had her greying hair pulled back into a harsh bun. Her mocha colored skin was free of wrinkles, making it hard to determine her age. She wore a pair of horn rimmed glasses with a beaded chain and a simple, plain brown dress and a white sweater. She typed on her typewriter quickly and didn’t look up at Harleen as she said in a stern voice. 

“Dr. Arkham is not seeing anyone at the moment.” 

Harleen saw the nameplate on the desk, Clara Saberton. “Uh, I’m the new doctor that is supposed to be starting today--Dr. Harleen Quinzel.” Harleen winced. She sounded like she was just out of high school and she did that stupid thing where she raised her voice into a lilting question instead of being firm. She was really going to have to work on that. 

Clara Saberton stopped in her typing and looked up over the top of her glasses at Harleen. Her dark brown eyes showed that she was a no-nonsense type of woman and she clearly already found Harleen wanting as she looked her up and down. 

Clara sniffed. “Have a seat. I’ll check to see if Dr. Arkham is free.” 

She pushed back her chair and went to the door. She gave it a soft knock. Harleen heard a rather high pitched male voice answer. “Yes?” 

Clara opened the door and stepped in, closing it softly behind her. Harleen sat and waited. She could hear the soft murmur of voices behind the door. She sighed and looked around. The office smelled of cigarette smoke. She didn’t see an ashtray and wondered if it came from Dr. Arkham’s office or belonged to someone else. She sighed and waited, looking down at her unpainted fingernails. She had worn her nails long in school, but had cut them after graduation, which was only a few months back. She wanted to be taken seriously and giving into the things like long painted nails, heavier make-up, and well...anything really too feminine worked against her. She planned on being a serious doctor of psychiatry and Arkham was giving her that chance. She would prove herself. She would… 

The door opened and Harleen looked up, her blue eyes wide behind her glasses. 

Clara didn’t look happy, but she stepped aside holding the door. “Dr. Arkham will see you.” 

Harleen stood up. “Thank you.” 

Clara said nothing as Harleen walked past her into the office. Clara shut the door behind her a little harder than strictly necessary. 

“Dr. Quinzel!! A pleasure to finally meet you in person!” 

Harleen focused her attention on the man in the room. Jeremaiah Arkham was a skinny man in a white doctors coat, plaid shirt, brown bow tie, and brown slacks. Little round glasses perched on a snub nose and weak, watery grey eyes looked at her from behind the small spectacles. He held his hand out to her and Harleen stepped forward to take it. The man’s handshake felt unsteady, his palm sweaty, and he twisted his jaw in a way that made Harleen think that the doctor was using--a drug addict. She couldn’t be sure of course, but all her knowledge and training screamed drug addict. The office was orderly, the same dull peach color as outside with a heavy desk that looked out of place on which a frame photo of an older man with a stern face sat. Harleen assumed by the shared appearance, it was Dr. Arkham’s father. Several books shelves lined the walls, all crammed with books and centered on the left wall hung a painting of Sigmund Freud, which made Harleen a little sick. 

But she instead smiled. 

“I’m really grateful for this opportunity, Dr. Arkham.” Harleen smiled taking her hand back. 

Jeremiah laughed and waved her off. “Call me Jeremiah--may I call you Harleen?” He didn’t wait for an answer as he continued. “Your test scores were spectacular and we’ve been needing new blood here for a while. When Dr. Harris was…” Arkham paled, his smile disappearing as a far away look crossed his eyes, but his smile returned as he continued. “When Dr. Harris left us it only seemed natural to hire a bright new doctor such as yourself.” He smiled and Harleen smiled back awkwardly. 

He clapped his hands. “Well, we got your paperwork yesterday so, all we need to do now is to show you your office, get you a name tag, give you the tour and show you to your new apartment.” He grinned in a way that Harleen found sickly. “Now, I would love to show you around myself, but I have a lot of paperwork--” (Harleen didn’t see a scrap of paper on his desk, though he did have a lot of books.) “--to get through and some phone calls to make, so I’ve had Clara send for Dr. Hugo Strange to show you around today. You can officially start tomorrow. Take today to settle in, get your office in order, and move in your things. You have one of the fully furnished apartments ,correct?” 

Harleen nodded. “Yes, I’m very gratefu--” 

“Oh nonsense, we like to make sure our doctors have the best of everything.” Jeremiah smiled just as a knock sounded at the door and Clara opened the door a crack to stick her head in. “Dr. Arkham, Dr. Strange is here.” Clara glanced at Harleen with a narrowed eye look. 

Harleen frowned wondering what she had done already to annoy the secretary. 

“Oh, send him right in.” Jeremiah smiled as Clara stepped aside and a man old enough to be her grandfather walked in. Dr. Hugo Strange had a presence about him. He was balding, his thinning hair a light brown mixed with grey, thick eyebrows, and had a well worn face. He wore a pair of round silver framed glasses and had a well-trimmed beard, trimmed close to his jaw, but no mustache. He wore a black suit under his doctor’s coat. 

He smiled when he saw her and held out his hand. “You must be our eager new doctor.” 

His smile was warm and his calloused hand grip was firm. Harleen smiled. “Yes, Dr. Harleen Quinzel.” 

Strange covered their joined hands with his other hand. “Well, aren't you just a ray of sunshine? Just what this old asylum needs, a fresh young mind--and might I be so bold as to say, pretty face. Dr. Arkham showed me your grades and that paper you wrote about dissociative identity disorder was quite interesting.” 

Harleen smiled. “Thank you.” 

Dr. Strange nodded as he released her hand. “Now, I’m here to give you the grand tour and to show you your office and apartment. Then you should have lunch with the staff before we leave you alone to adjust to your new home.” He smiled in what Harleen thought of as a grandfatherly way. “We hope you’ll be very happy here Dr. Quinzel.” 

Harleen smiled, feeling encouraged again. “I know I will.” 

* 

The tour took longer than Harleen thought it would. Each section they entered required Dr. Strange to show his ID--which he wore on a lanyard around his neck--where a guard stood manning an electric gate. Harleen noticed that while there were plenty of nurses and orderlies, there seemed to be an unusual amount of armed guards in the asylum. Each man had a gun and a baton. She wanted to ask about the weapons, but kept her mouth shut. No point in making waves on her first day. 

Dr. Strange moved quickly for a man who she would guess was in his late sixties. He was energetic (made her feel like a slug!) and talked with a quick, professional air, clearly knowing the asylum like the back of his hand. As they moved along at a swift pace, he pointed out sections by the doors, halls, or signs while giving her important information as they made their way through the complicated maze of halls. She realized at some point that the main body of the asylum was connected to at least four other buildings by hallways separated by guarded gates. The transition was a bit strange going from one to the other. As if reading her mind, Strange said without looking back. “Two of the wards were added to the building at different points in Arkham’s history. When the asylum first opened, they didn’t have wards. It was more like a big house for patients to live as a family, but over time the need to separate patients by sex because inevitable and more patients arrived.” His face creased into a frown. “We have over a thousand patients off and on.” Strange looked perplexed for a moment before he briskly continued. “There are several buildings on the property that are not attached, the dormitories for the doctors, nurses, and staff are all free standing buildings, but the buildings that contain patients are all connected. Each ward consists of three floors.” He smiled. “It can be quite daunting at first to learn your way around, but before you know it you’ll be able to navigate this place blindfolded.” 

“Arkham Ayslum is divided in three major sections. We have a female ward and a male ward of course, though we do not seperate the patients based on sex when it comes to meal times, classes and recreation. We allow the patients to mingle as long as they have been on their best behavior. We do have isolation rooms and we have a fourth ward for our more dangerous patients, patients who are a danger to themselves and others, but I always see that area as a temporary holding place until those patients have received enough treatment to start mixing with the rest of our patients.” They were passing a hall of rooms, all of them open, and Harleen could see that the rooms had one to two beds, most had at least one chair, a desk, one overhead light, and a window that was both high up and had heavy bars over the windows. 

Strange continued. “We try to provide as much comfort to our patients as possible. In addition to drug treatments, we also have spa baths, ice treatments, electroshock therapy when necessary, straightjackets, insulin therapy. We employ a wide range and…” Strange smirked when he saw the look on Harleen’s face. Some of the treatments he was describing were barbaric! Primitive really! Harleen was shocked. “My dear, Arkham, as I’m sure you have read and done your research before you applied, has many unusual and unique cases. The more modern methods do not always work, though we do our best to employ the newests methods first. Just remember, we never hurt our patients and our goal is their good health. Now…” He continued to point as Harleen raced to keep up with him and tried to control her expression better. “We have rooms for art classes, a pool for swimming, we have a tennis court, a small garden, and a television and game room.” 

Stange walked briskly holding up a card he wore around his neck, turning at the same time and stopping in front of a room that had the word “Security” painted on it in big black block letters. “This is your ID. It’s important that you keep it on your person at all times. It will get you in and out of each security gate, each section of the asylum.” He dropped his card where it bounced against his chest before he turned the knob, holding the door open for Harleen. 

“After you, my dear.” 

Harleen smiled and walked into the security office. There were two men in the room along with a large wooden desk with two chairs that sat under a wall that held six large television screens. Harleen could see black and white images of a few of the halls that she and Strange had been in, as well as an image looking down into a large common area where she could see patients milling about. 

Strange smiled. “Dr. Quinzel, let me introduce our head of security, Aaron Cash.” 

Aaron Cash was a large black man with an easy smile. He reached out and took Harleen’s hand. “Pleasure to met you Dr. Quinzel. This is my second-in-command, Frank Boles.” Frank Boles was another big man with pale, almost sickly skin and a heavy black mustache, but there was something cold and cruel about his eyes as he reached out and took her hand. “Dr. Quinzel,” he said with a smile that made every alarm in Harleen’s head go off. This man was dangerous, she thought, someone to be careful of. When he let go of her hand it was a relief. 

“Now Cash, do you mind taking Dr. Quinzel’s picture for her ID before I take her over to her office and the dorms?” Strange asked with a smile. 

Cash nodded. “Of course. Just this way, Dr. Quinzel.” 

Harleen followed Cash to a small section of room that was cordoned off with a space divider where a stool sat against a plain, light grey wall in front of a camera on a tripod. The set-up reminded Harleen of getting one’s picture taken for a driver’s license. 

Cash motioned to the stool. “Just sit right there and I’ll take your picture.” 

Harleen did as he requested and sat. “Should I smile?” 

Cash was leaning behind the camera. “If you like.” 

Harleen sat up straight and smiled. 

Cash took the picture and stood up. “I should have your ID ready for you in the morning, Dr. Quinzel. Just ask for it at the main entry desk.” 

“Thank you.” Harleen stood walking back over to Strange who had been speaking to Boles in heated whispers. The two men looked angry, but Strange’s face immediately shifted back to the friendly grandfather smile. “Now, let’s show you your new office.” 

* 

Harleen’s office was located in a long hallway where there were a surprising number of empty rooms. She wanted to ask why there were so many empty offices (she assumed they were offices), but kept her mouth shut as Stange led her to the office at the very end of the hall. 

“Here you go, Dr. Quinzel. It’s not much to look at right now, but I’m sure you’ll add your own personal touches. You’ll be seeing patients in here unless a patient is deemed dangerous, then we have another more secure room, though it is private as well. None of the rooms used for one-on-one patient and doctor interactions have cameras and no guards are allowed in the rooms during sessions unless you personally request a guard to be in the room. Though we do discourage that when at all possible.” 

Harleen stepped into her office, her eyes large and round with excitement. The walls were plain beige in color and the floor was the same linoleum she had seen everywhere in the asylum, except in Dr. Arkham’s office. The room already had a desk with a chair, an old but quality wooden desk and chair. With a smile, she noted there was enough room she could add plants, a couch, book cases. some paintings or soothing photographs on the walls… 

It was perfect. 

Strange smiled, watching her walk around in a circle in the empty room. “We have a storage room where a lot of extra furniture is kept. Feel free to request anything you want from that room and we can have some orderlies bring whatever you want to your office.” 

Harleen smiled. “This is my first office.” 

Strange nodded. “Thrilling isn’t it? You’ll be able to do a lot of good here. Now...how about we take you over to your room so you can get yourself moved in and settle down?” 

Harleen smiled and nodded with enthusiasm. “Yes!” 

* 

Strange led Harleen outside. They took a path that wound around the body of Arkham then down a well-kept trail that cut through lawns of green grass and trimmed bushes to a series of large brick buildings. Out in front of the building where Strange was leading her, Harleen could see bike racks holding multiple bicycles. Strange stopped in front of the glass and metal door that led into the building with a small sign outside in the grass that simply read, “B.” 

“Now, the dormitories are unisex. Relationships between doctors and staff are not forbidden, but we do encourage everyone to be an adult and to keep private matters private. There are no drugs or alcohol allowed on the grounds. Doctors and staff can leave the island at anytime; there is no curfew, but it is recommended that if you are planning a night in Gotham that you let security know and give them a rough time frame to expect you back. Everyone is an adult here--we just ask that everyone act like one.” Strange smiled as he held the door open for her. Harleen stepped inside. The halls were quiet, simple plain halls that you would find in any apartment building, though maybe cleaner and quieter she thought as Strange led her down the hall to an elevator. “Your room, my dear, is on the fifth floor.” 

They stepped onto the elevator going up to the fifth floor. When the door opened again, Strange walked briskly down the hall, stopping at a door marked “5D” and producing a key from his jacket pocket. “Here you go my dear.” 

Harleen smiled and took the offered key, slid it into the lock and opened the door. 

The room was larger than she was expecting, a large studio apartment, far larger than anything she could have gotten in Gotham, especially for the price, convenience, and safety. There was one large window that looked out onto a small garden maze below made of roses where she could see several nurses walking with patients and a few doctors smoking. The walls were painted white and the floors were white too with a small closet and a bathroom with a tub and shower. The only furniture in the room was a large double bed, the mattress of which was rolled up on the frame. Harleen bit her bottom lip to try to control her smiling. It was far nicer than she was expecting. 

Strange stood in the doorway. “Feel free to bring in anything you want. We have a lot of spare furniture available to the doctors--just like with the offices. You can paint the walls, bring in throw rugs, a television set, whatever you need to make your space comfortable.” He smiled at her. “Well, I think I’ll leave you now, Dr. Quinzel. I hope you enjoy working here.” 

“Thank you,” Harleen said and Strange gave her a smile and a nod before he disappeared. Harleen stood in the middle of her new apartment, going still for just a moment. When she was sure she was alone and Strange was on the elevator, she gave a muffled squeal and danced around. 

* 

Harleen yawned, removing her glasses and rubbed her eyes. The rest of her day had been filled with getting her room put together. She now had a desk, a bookshelf, a couple of chairs and a couch--all ugly but comfortable. She had her tiny television set--which was stacked on some books at the moment--while the rest she would buy with her first paycheck, maybe some throw rugs, longer curtains, something for the walls… 

She sat at her desk. The only light she had on was her old desk lamp from college. She was dressed in a pair of light pink pajamas, her long blonde hair down loose and falling around her shoulders in soft curls. She was exhausted, but excited. Tomorrow was her first day on the job! 

She pulled her journal toward her and began to write. She had been keeping a journal since high school and had continued with the practice all through college and now as her new life as a doctor. She dreamed a little of one day publishing her memoirs when she was a famous doctor. Harleen smirked at herself as she began to write in her journal. 

“Well, I made it. I’m at Arkham! Tomorrow I start my first day as a real, live doctor. The first in my family to graduate college, the first to get a degree and now this! I’m so excited and a little scared, but I know this is going to be life changing. I know that Arkham is where I was meant to be, this is going to be the place where I can make a real difference!” Harleen smiled down at her journal as she wrote. “The first day of the rest of my life begins tomorrow!” 


	2. First Full Day

Harleen was giddy with excitement as she got ready for her first day as a real doctor. She carefully styled her hair for maximum “stress” and applied light makeup to her face, just enough to bring out her eyes. The frosted pink on her lips made her lips looks nice, but not too nice. She grinned at herself in her mirror. She still looked younger than her years, but she did at least look professional--at least to her mind. 

She didn’t really expect much today, probably a meet and greet with the other doctors, followed by a rundown on the rules, maybe follow another senior doctor around... 

She wasn’t really expecting to get to work with patients today, nothing serious, but that would come in time. First, she had to learn the ropes of the asylum. She knew how to handle herself, had learned the basics during her residency, but each hospital and facility had its own life. Harleen bit down on her bottom lip with anticipation; day two of her career! 

She was sitting on the corner of her bed having just put on a pair of high waisted wide legged black slacks with a crisp blue top with just enough buttons open at the top that she looked relaxed, but not so many buttons opened that she looked like she was inviting the male staff to look down her shirt at her breasts. The shirt fit snug, with long sleeves, looking both professional and approachable--plus it brought out her blue eyes. Harleen smiled, she could be a little vain as long as she didn’t go overboard. 

Harleen was only half-watching the program since it was the morning news report. She wasn’t really a morning news person (she liked to start her day off on a positive note) and besides, her mind was more focused on the day ahead, the excitement of finally starting her new life while she pulled on her nude, knee high hose as she watched the news report with a slight frown on her pink lips. 

“Last night, the infamous criminal The Joker was captured after attacking a fundraising event for Gotham’s School of the Blind, an event sponsored by Gotham’s own golden boy, the city’s most eligible billionaire bachelor Bruce Wayne.” A picture of Bruce Wayne flashed on the screen and Harleen frowned for a moment studying the picture before it was removed to be replaced with an image of the outside of a large theater. She thought Bruce Wayne was a very attractive man, with thick dark hair although with the look of a man who had paid too much for a haircut. His blue eyes chiseled feature, and a smile that looked a little fake to Harleen made her reassess her initial reaction. She tilted her head studying his photo on the screen. Yeah, he was pretty hot, but there was something in his eyes that didn’t jive with the rest of his face. That man had a secret, a deep, dark secret. Of course, he was a billionaire, so... 

The photo vanished to be replaced with an image of what looked like a large theater with a Romanesque front with the large stone pillars along with statues of muses at the top. 

The reporter continued. “The event was being held at the Gotham Theater of Arts last night when The Joker attacked with a gang of clowns. At least ten people succumbed to The Joker’s gas grenades before Gotham’s own vigilante, the man that some call the Dark Knight of Gotham--while others call him The Batman--appeared. Many witnesses said there was quite a fight inside the theater, but ultimately the Batman was able to overcome the Joker.” 

The image of the newscaster was replaced with screens of the destruction inside the theater. Harleen frowned again. There had to have been quite a fight inside the theater based on the images that were being shown before a video of the man they were calling The Joker appeared and Harleen felt her breath being pulled from her lungs. 

She had heard of The Joker even in Boston. Heck, she had applied to Arkham just because of the unique cases that were studied and cared for here: The Joker, Mad Hatter, Killer Croc, all individuals made famous by their crimes and the media, but she hadn’t really “seen” him before this moment, only a few photos here and there. She could tell the man was uniquely attractive from the images shown, but now, seeing him on the screen, moving, smiling, staring into the camera and winking, she could only imagine what the criminally insane clown was like in person. Photographs clearly did not do the man justice. 

The man on the screen was like no one she had ever seen before. He was tall, slender in a way that spoke of speed and dexterity rather than skinny and weak; his skin was white, not caucasian white, but white like a ghost, like a clown’s makeup. His thick, slightly curling hair was green, a nice shade of green too she noticed, and his lips, which she noted were quite sensual, were painted red. He wasn’t traditionally attractive, of course. His features were long and hard, with a sharp nose and narrow chin, but his smile was really quite...attractive. And his teeth were perfect! And when he looked at the camera, that gorgeous smile on his lips, a smile that seemed to take up his entire face, Harleen couldn’t help but notice his eyes. The Joker had amazing blue eyes that flashed with intelligence and clear madness. Harleen felt her breath stop as she leaned toward the television watching as the police led the Joker to a police cruiser. His hands were cuffed behind him and she could see make out from the video image that his suit, which looked to be a tailored three piece suit, was purple with a yellow vest and green tie. 

The next video was a grainy image of a man leaping off a building and swinging into the darkness. The report said in a tight tone. “This image of the Batman was caught by one of our station traffic helicopters right after Joker’s arrest. This is considered to be one of the first images of Gotham’s Dark Knight. Stories of the legendary Dark Knight have been circulating around Gotham for the last six years. At first the stories were thought to be simple urban legend, but...” 

She blinked in surprise. She had heard stories about the Batman, a lot of students at Boston University had talked about him, trying to diagnose the Dark Knight, because only a man with some deep psychological trauma would dress up like a bat and run around fighting crime in Gotham, but seeing him on her television, Harleen had to agree with much of Gotham. He was impressive. The man was tall, had to be at last six foot and he looked like he was heavily muscled, though she wasn’t sure how much of that might be his suit; plus the image wasn’t very good. 

But as impressive as Batman was, it was The Joker who had really grabbed her attention. Harleen bit her lip, thinking about the criminal. He was clearly a lot older than her, but from her brief glimpse of the man she could see he probably oozed charm, albeit a dangerous charm. There was just something about the way he moved (even when being shoved forcefully into a police cruiser) the way he smiled, that light in his eyes… 

Talk about a case that would make her career! Getting to analyze The Joker? Harleen smiled thinking about curing the man, being the one person who was able to crack him open! The awe and respect she earned from her colleagues, the way the media would fawn over her, the interviews…and then maybe she would be able to cure The Batman! 

She would be famous! 

For just a few moments Harleen imagined being a world renowned psychiatrist, The Joker cured and living a normal life, thankful to her, maybe even in love with her... 

Harleen broke down into a fit of giggles and shook herself, getting to her feet and grabbed her shoes and coat. 

“One step at a time Harleen,” she told herself. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.” 

She smiled and hurried again. She wanted to get down to the cafeteria and grab some breakfast before she started her day, the first day of the rest of her life. 

And it was always good to start your day with a good breakfast. 

* 

Each dorm had its own simple kitchen on the first floor and third floor, a small space with oven, a small fridge and a couple of couches. Just enough that someone could have a snack, cook something easy, but the big cafeteria was its own building located between the hospital and the dorms. It was a quick walk from her dorm to the cafeteria. 

The morning air felt brisk. Dew coated the grass and it was early enough that a thin fog still made the landscape look as if it were located on the moors in some old black and white film, maybe one of those Vincent Price movies she loved. Harleen shivered, the wet chill soaking through her thin doctors coat as she made her way to the cafeteria. 

When she pushed the glass doors open and stepped into the cafeteria, Harleen was greeted by the scents of coffee and bacon. The cafeteria was similar in set up to the one she had at college, its configuration was where most of the similarities ended. While the college cafeteria had been lively, the walls painted bright colors, students dressed in a bright array of colors and styles, posters hung on the walls, this place looked like a morgue. The floors were that shame cheap linoleum she had been seeing all through the place yesterday (she was already sick of it), the walls were also white, but a dull eggshell color that was only made that much more sour by the yellow lights shining from above. Harleen frowned, but pushed aside any trepidation in favor of food and coffee. 

The place wasn’t too busy, as it was still pretty early in the morning. She glanced around, though no one paid her any attention. She shrugged and went to go grab some food. 

The cafeteria food was pretty typical as far as cafeterias went, as was the staff behind the plastic counter. Each staff member was an older woman--old enough to be Harleen’s grandmother--all of them wearing the same light blue uniform, hair net and expression that clearly stated they would rather be anywhere but here. 

The breakfast that was being served was the standard rubbery eggs, toast, pancakes, waffles, muffins, sausages and bacon, but the coffee was surprisingly good and the cost wasn’t too bad. Though Harleen thought she might purchase her own little fridge for her room when she could afford it so she could keep some fruit, maybe a few muffins… 

She sighed and let the cafeteria ladies fill her tray with eggs, bacon, and toast along with an apple for later and the biggest cup of coffee she could get her hands on. 

There were only a few doctors down here, most of them reading papers or magazines, talking among themselves. No one went out of their way to introduce themselves to her, though several of them did glance over at her with varying degrees of interest. Harleen supposed she couldn’t really blame them. She was the rogue element, the new girl. Most hospitals had a comfortable way that they ran things, everyone understood the rules, posted and unspoken, and a new person always upset the careful balance and hierarchy, even if only during the adjustment period. Hopefully, in a few days she would prove herself to them. 

She ate breakfast quickly, shoveling eggs and bacon into her mouth without really tasting them, washing everything down with hot coffee before she hurried to the main body of Arkham Asylum at a jog, heading toward the conference room. That was where she was going to be introduced to the staff of doctors. Excitement and fear raced through her as she hurried across the ground and into the main building, heading first to security to get her identification card and then onto her first meeting as a real doctor! 

* 

The conference room that Harleen entered looked pretty much like any conference room she had ever seen on campus, during her residency, or on television, except maybe smaller. The walls were painted an unexciting yellow that made Harleen think of a coffee stain on a paper towel. In the center of the room sat a cheap, long wooden table along with simple, stiff office chairs. When she walked in, only one other person was here already, a very tall man so thin she wondered if he ever ate. He had a mop of light brown hair, a long, pointed nose with a pair of round glasses at the end. He wore a white doctor’s coat over his simple brown clothing with the name tag on the breast that read: “Dr. Crane.” 

The man was leaning forward, reading a book he had on the table, his nose almost touching the page. For some reason, the first thing that came to Harleen’s mind was Ichabod Crane; the man had the look of the character from the story. Harleen quickly recalled a line from the book, 

“His head was small, and flat at the top, with huge ears, large green glassy eyes, and a long snipe nose, so that it looked like a weather-cock perched upon his spindle neck to tell which way the wind blew…” 

The man looked up and smiled. “Hello--you must the new doctor.” 

Harleen smiled and walked over to him with her hand out. “Hi, yes! I’m Dr. Quinzel, Harleen Quinzel.” 

The man stood taking her hand, his smile gentle, his grip firm. “Dr. Johnathan Crane, it's a pleasure. I’m very happy to meet you.” He motioned at the seat across from him. Harleen took it as the tall, thin doctor took his seat. “I hope you’ll be happy here with us Dr. Quinzel.” 

Harleen smiled. “I’m sure I will. This is a dream come true for me. I…” 

She was interrupted when the door opened and several more people entered, including Dr. Strange and Dr. Arkham. Harleen watched as everyone filed in. She counted three other female doctors, and an additional six male doctors. They were all talking together as they came in and took their seats. One doctor, a man with dark brown hair and green eyes behind his glasses sat beside her, while on her other side, Dr. Strange sat down. 

“Good morning Dr. Quinzel.” Strange smiled at her. 

Harleen nodded. “Morning, Dr. Strange.” 

The man on her other side smiled and gently touched her arm to get her attention. He was really attractive Harleen thought, in a traditional boy-next-door sort of way. “Hello, I’m Dr. Wyndham Vane. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” 

“Dr. Harleen Quinzel.” She smiled taking his hand. Dr. Vane smiled into her eyes. He started to say something when Strange cut him off. “All right Vane, let everyone meet the new doctor.” 

Vane blushed, taking back his hand while giving Harleen a small smile. 

Dr. Arkham stood at the head of the table. He looked a bit twitchy to Harleen. “All right, this morning I would like to hear what everyone is planning for the day. I know a few of you have switched patients without asking for approval first.” Arkham frowned with a small shake of his head. “But first, let us introduce our newest staff member, Dr. Harleen Quinzel. Dr. Quinzel comes to us fresh some Boston having graduated in the top of her class. She will hopefully bring Arkham Asylum some new and fresh ideas.” He smiled and motioned for Harleen to stand up. 

Harleen swallowed, but stood. (She always hated this part, a teacher who would insist that new students stand and introduce themselves to the class, maybe say something interesting about themselves. Ugh, she would rather just get to work.) 

“Hi…” Harleen gave an awkward wave. “Uh, I’m really looking forward to working with all of you…” 

One of the male doctors, a man with a soft chubby face and coke bottle glasses frowned, ignoring Harleen to look at Jeremiah. “I thought you were going to hire Dr. Eugene Frisk?” 

Arkham sighed. “No, I said I was not going to hire him because he has a sexual assault charge against him that is in court, Roger.” 

The man named Roger crossed his arms. “You know that charge was all a lie by one of his students. You know how women like to sleep with their professors to get better grades…” 

One of the woman, a woman with what Harleen guessed might be Native American features, with light brown skin and long light brown hair that was worn in twin braids wrapped in red ribbon (she reminded Harleen of Cher) slammed a hand on the table. “I swear Dr. Huntoon, if you say something sexist one more time I will go to the cops myself and tell them what…” 

Dr. Roger Huntoon glared at the woman and his voice dripped with sarcasm. “First, you have to prove something Dr. Sinner and I wouldn’t make moves on you if you were the last woman in Arkham Asylum.” 

Harleen paled and slowly sat down again as the argument suddenly exploded, pulling in all the other doctors, turning into a shouting match within seconds. 

Dr. Vane leaned close to Harleen and whispered. “Sorry about this. Dr. Roger Huntoon is an asshole. Dr. Alyce Sinner…” He pointed to the woman like looked like Cher. “Is a feminist, so it’s like oil and water. Personally I would have fired Huntoon--he’s sexist, xenophobic, and racist, but Dr. Arkham keeps him on staff because his research brings in money. Big grants and all.” 

Harleen made a slight face and Wyndham shrugged. “You’ll find that sometimes the cost of keeping this place running requires us to do things we don’t really like, but don’t worry--most of the doctors here like to keep to themselves. Lucky for you, I’m not one of them. You’ll be working with me today, just following me around, watching the routine. I think tomorrow though you’ll get to work with patients on your own. Not sure who you’ll be assigned yet, but…” 

Strange slammed his hands down on the table, which had the effect of stopping all the arguing. “That is quite enough. Dr. Huntoon, your objections have been noted--and dismissed. Now, we have other business to discuss, I suggest we get to it.” Strange looked everyone in the eye, his expression stern and commanding. Huntoon looked away, but Dr. Sinner put her nose up, though Harleen noted she did stop yelling. 

Vane whispered, “There is the real man in control of the asylum.” 

He didn’t say anything more as the meeting got underway. 

Harleen took a deep breath and folded her hands on her lap. This is gonna be fun, she thought with a minor tightening of her lips. 

* 

The meeting was pretty typical. Harleen only listened to half of it as the doctors discussed work they were doing, some issues with supplies, or therapies, but soon it was over and she was leaving with Dr. Vane by her side. 

He gently touched her upper arm and guided her away from the others physicians, especially Dr. Huntoon who had started to make his way toward her before Dr. Sinner stepped in front of him. 

Dr. Vane steered her down the hall to the elevator. “You may have to have your confrontation with Dr. Huntoon, but you don’t have to do it today,” he said with a smile. 

After they were in the evelator, he released her arm and sighed, leaning against the back of the elevator car. “So, fun meeting, eh?” 

Harleen laughed. “It was interesting.” 

Vane laughed too. “Most of the time the meetings are boring, though Roger always has something exciting to bring up since the man is a putz.” 

Harleen giggled, which made Wyndham smile. “You’ll want to stay away from Dr. Huntoon as much as possible, and maybe Dr. Sinner too. She can be intense and if you disagree with her on anything, even the color of the sky, she will cut you with her tongue.” He grimaced. “Dr. Chase Meridia is nice, she is a really hard worker, doesn't have a lot of time to socialize, and Dr. Joan Leland is great, really good with the patients. Let’s see…” Vane tapped his chin. “Dr. Crane is kooky, the man’s research focuses on fear, so don’t be surprised if he asks you a lot of questions about what scares you, real spooky stuff.” He laughed it off. “Hmm...Dr. Achilles Milo, the one with the weird bowl haircut--weirdo.” They both laughed before Vane continued. “Dr. John Kearney, the man who looked like every movie professor you’ve ever seen--nice guy, dedicated. Dr. Richard Cavendish, the one with a scar on his chin, he’s okay, keeps to himself. Dr. Alex Montez the one who looks like Cesar Romero, he is a research scientist here, really intense, but smart--super smart.” Vane smiled at her with lifted brows. “Anyway I guess you could say those are the main players here at the asylum. Everyone else pretty much keeps their head down, does their work.” He shrugged. “So first day on the job, let’s see if I can’t make the rest of your day dull as dishwater. We have to start with some paperwork...always a great deal of fun, fun, fun.” Vane grinned as he made a fist and thrust it across his stomach a few times and Harley laughed. “It’ll make you wonder why you became a doctor just to sign your name a million times a day.” He grinned. “But after lunch, which I won’t be able to share with you since I will be having a working lunch…” He rolled his eyes. “Meeting I have to take, but after that we’ll be working with Dr. Alic and Archie Knots--they are twins who do our art therapy classes. Now, that’ll be fun.” 

Harleen smiled. “I’m looking forward to it.” 

* 

The first part of Harleen’s day was dull, just as Dr. Vane had said it would be. She ended up helping him with a lot of filing and going through patient charts and other fairly mindless work, but Wyndham Vane was entertaining. He told her about some of the asylum gossip, about how Dr. Meridia was seen sneaking into Dr. Montez’s room after hours in only her bathrobe or how Dr. Crane had asked to decorate the asylum for Halloween next month, which Wyndham thought was both exciting and possibly dangerous, given how the doctor studied fear, not to mention some of the patients’ particular disorders. 

Dr. Vane’s voice had a gentle timbre that made Harleen think he would be great for talking to patients with his soothing voice, but soon lunch came. 

“I’ll walk you to the cafeteria here. It’s open to anyone, visitors, some patients, staff and doctors. You can go to the dorms’ main one if you wish, but you would have to run to get back in time. Then there are the staff lounges if you brought your lunch. There is at least one on every floor, some have two. Dr. Huntoon likes to hang out in the one on the second floor because it has the best television, so I would stay away from that one. Otherwise, wherever you feel comfortable.” Vane smiled as they walked down the hall. She could see a number of nurses, orderlies or residents working. She only saw one or two patients, people that Vane said were here for short stays for problems like depression. One woman had lost a baby recently and needed help, while another patient was here to help with an addiction problem, but she didn’t see any of the “interesting” patients, the ones Arkham was famous for. 

Harleen didn’t ask about them, she didn’t want to seem overeager to see only the sensational patients, but it was difficult to refrain from asking. 

After a couple of minutes Vane led her into the hospital’s main cafeteria. Here more of an effort had been made to make this large open room more inviting. Harleen supposed it was because visitors would eat here, not just staff. 

The floor was a dark, attractive tile and there were two free standing buffets, one for salad, the other was for soup, of which there was quite a surprising variety. There were round tables of various sizes throughout the room and a large window that looked out onto the gardens and provided a great deal of natural light. 

Vane smiled and pointed. “If you don’t have money on you just ask that gentleman over there…” 

Harleen saw a hunched bald man wearing overalls and an apron. “That’s Rudy Heinkel, he’s head of the cafeteria staff for the entire asylum. Just tell him you want to start a tab, though just so you know, he expects payment at the end of the month, but he’s always fair.” 

Vane smiled. “See you in an hour Harleen?” 

Harleen nodded. “Yes, and thank you Wyndham.” 

Wyndham smiled. “How about you thank me by having dinner with me at the dorm cafeteria...the special tonight is meatloaf!” He grinned at her and Harleen laughed. “I would love to.” 

Wyndham grinned. “All right then, see you after lunch.” 

Harleen watched him go with a smile. She hadn’t realized she had been standing there watching, even after he left until a voice in her ear made her jump. 

“He flirts with all the ladies, but he’s actually a nice guy.” 

She jumped and turned with a gasp to see Dr. Alyce Sinner standing beside her. She smiled. “Unlike the rest of the boy’s club around here, so far Dr. Vane hasn’t done anything to make me want to kick him in the balls, but you never know. Wanna eat with me and the other main lady doctors? I figured since there are only three of us--and now you make four of us--we should stick together.” 

Harleen opened her mouth to respond, but Alyce waved her hand. “I know, a lot of the nursing staff is female and Alice Knots is a woman, but they have not clout. We four are the only ones really attempting to break that glass ceiling.” Alyce hooked her arm through Harleen’s before Harleen could protest and began to lead her over to a table where Harleen saw Drs. Meridia and Leland sitting eating lunch, both of whom looked up when Dr. Sinner stopped at the table. 

“Ladies, I have retrieved the newest members to our elite club of Lady Doctors.” Alyce smiled. 

Harleen waved awkwardly. “Ah, hi?” 

Dr. Joan Leland, a woman with a short brown bob and skin the color of cinnamon stood up and took Harleen’s hand giving her a good, but friendly shake. “Nice to meet you Dr. Quinzel.” 

“Oh just call me Harleen,” Harleen said softly. 

Dr. Chase Meridia was another blonde, but her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her face was covered in serious lines, stood and took Harleen’s hand too. “Nice to meet you and welcome to the club.” 

Alyce pulled out a chair and sat. “So how about you tell us a litt…” 

She was interrupted by Joan who laughed easily. “Alyce, let the poor girl go get something to eat first before you recuit her to the feminist army of women doctors.” 

Alyce made a face. “Fine. Go on, go get lunch.” 

Harleen smiled. “Ah, thank you.” 

She hurried off hearing the sound of Dr. Sinner as she began to complain about how Arkhm ran the asylum, but she was happy he at least was smart enough to hire another woman. 

* 

Harleen made her way over to the cafeteria line, grabbed a tray, and settled in to wait a few minutes since the line was surprisingly long. She was standing behind an orderly, two nurses, and a couple of guards who were all bunched together talking. 

Harleen tried not to eavesdrop, but it was difficult with them being so close and not really trying to be quiet. 

“Did you hear about the Joker?” one of the nurses asked with a shudder. “Thank god they took him to Blackgate.” 

One of the guards snorted. “And how long do you think he is really going to stay there?” 

One of the orderlies frowned. “You don’t think they would send him here again, not after Dr. Hein?” 

The same guard that spoke nodded. “They will. Ain’t no judge gonna find him sane enough to stand trial.” 

The same nurse who had spoken before shook her head. “God, I wish they wouldn’t send him here.” 

The other guard laughed. “Scared Helen?” 

The nurse named Helen glared at the guard and nodded. “Fuck yeah, I’m scared, and you should be too Bryce. I’ve been here long enough that I’ve seen some of the shit the Joker can do. You know what he did to Eddie, that’s why he’s missing those fingers, or the time he got into the supply closet and made Joker gas with cleaning supplies? And that’s not even talking about Rebecca down in solitary--and he just talked to her. God only knows what he said that made her crazy! That clown is not just dangerous, he’s like a living boogeyman.” She shook her head and hissed under her breath. “I don’t understand why The Batman won’t just kill him.” 

The other nurse said softly, “Because he has a code.” 

“Well, fuck his code,” Helen exclaimed. “Every time they put Joker in here, at least one person ends up dead--that or worse.” 

The guard named Bryce mused as they moved along. “Wonder who is gonna get him this time? None of the doctors want to work with him, not after Hein, and the residents can’t. Maybe they’ll just toss him in solitary and leave him there.” 

Helen shook her head. “They can’t,” she explained. “State law says the Joker has to get treatment while he is in Arkham.” She made a face. “If it was up to me, we'd have more than simply the Joker stuck in a padded room for the rest of his life.” She sighed. “I don’t know who I’m gonna get on the nursing staff to work with him, but I know it won’t be me, that’s at least one of the good things about being in charge of the nursing staff.” 

The youngest of the nurses whispered. “When do you think he’ll be transferred here?” 

The other guard shrugged. “My guess? We’ll see him by the end of the week, if not sooner. Joker has been through the system before. Every judge knows he’s insane and no one wants to deal with him and Blackgate certainly doesn’t want to have him there. He’d probably incite a riot inside of a week.” 

“What about Belle Reve? I heard that place holds some of the nastiest criminals?” An orderly looked at the others. 

Bryce shook his head. “Nah, they won’t send him there. One, he ain’t considered a metahuman and two, I think everyone would be scared of the trip to get him there. Besides, I don’t think Batman would like the clown out of state.” 

All of them went quiet. 

Harleen, on the other hand, felt a wellspring of excitement. So the Joker would definitely be brought here!! She knew the chances of her getting to work with him were slim, but she was excited by the prospect of getting to see him in the flesh, as well as observing him and his interactions with other patients and doctors. Maybe, just maybe, she would be lucky enough that her observations might yield something knew? A new therapy to try or new drug regimen… 

She didn’t know, but she was going to do her best to be the one to help Joker become well, because whoever accomplished that task would make headlines and open doors in the medical community. 

Harleen grinned as she got her lunch while thinking of the possibilities. 

* 

A couple of hours after lunch, Harleen spend much of her afternoon helping with giving our patient medications. (At lunch, Harleen learned around all the sexism, real and perceived by Dr. Sinner that took place in Arkham. Dr. Sinner could talk a lot and all of it was angry. Harleen felt the doctor was justified in most of her complaints, but there were a few points of contention that seemed to just be the older doctor being angry for the sake of it. Harleen had noticed that the other two doctors at the table simply ate and let Dr. Sinner vent with little talk. Harleen took her cue from them and ate her lunch while Dr. Sinner raged against the machine.) Harleen met up once more with Dr. Vane who led her to the third floor. 

“This is where we have a lot of therapy, disguised as classes. A lot of patients don’t like to think they are taking art or music therapy so we call them classes instead and everyone is happy. It’s all about perception.” Vane smiled as he walked beside her down a hall. “That is one of the things we try to do here is make the patients feel at home and not like they are in an institution.” Vane’s complexion paled. “Yes, probably. The man is thoroughly insane, there is no doubt about that, but he is also very dangerous.” 

“Have you worked with him?” Harleen asked as they walked. 

She could see several open doors along the hall they were walking. Inside some she saw what looked like a patients, all wearing either hospital patient uniforms of bright orange in the style of nurses scrubs or sweat pants with t-shirts and sweatshirts all labeled with ARKHAM on them in some fashion. Some of the patients were even wearing hospital gowns. The rooms they occupied were lounges containing couches, chairs, tables and a television that was playing Sesame Street. Another room had only a handful of patients, most of them looked like zombies to her, their eyes had that drugged out expression, their movements sluggish… 

She frowned, but they were still moving along, and soon they were past them. 

* 

The art therapy room was one of the few rooms in the asylum with a large enough window to let in a lot of natural light, though it was, of course, heavily barred. 

The room had the same flooring that she had seen everywhere (Harleen decided she now hated linoleum), but the walls here were painted a pale green. They were decorated with taped up pieces of artwork that ranged from finger paints to some skillfully drawn pictures. The room contained several large tables with plastic chairs around them, a few easels (which were currently stacked in a corner of the room), and large colorful plastic boxes full of art supplies. The room reminded Harleen of a kindergarten class. 

The twin doctors, Alice and Archie Knots, both freckled redheads with charming smiles, were walking around among the handful of patients who were currently working on making tiny sculptures with Play-doh. 

At one table Harleen saw two men that she had seen before in different articles she had read at school. One was unmistakably Jervis Tetch. Even in the orange patient clothing and lacking his usual top hat, Harleen recognized the man from a picture of him attached to the article she had read. He had a mop of while blonde hair that stuck out around his head as if he had been electrocuted. Tetch also had a large, almost bulbous nose and buck teeth that stuck out and pressed into his lower lip. He was quite short, maybe reaching Harleen’s shoulder if he stood up straight. His entire being was focused on Alice in Wonderland. In the article Harleen had read, he had been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic, but Harleen wasn’t so sure about that. She would have to speak with him on her own to make a real diagnosis, but she had a feeling his delusions were something else entirely. (Too often, she had concluded during her residency, psychiatrists diagnosed schizophrenia. It seemed too easy to Harleen.) Tetch was clearly intelligent because of the mind control capabilities of his hat devices, but he lived completely as the Mad Hatter from Alice, walking a strange line between reality and the world of Alice in Wonderland that she thought might be a case, unique in and of itself to Jervis Tetch. 

She watched for a moment while Dr. Vane went to speak with Drs. Knots about them observing their class. Tetch seemed to be making colorful top hats with his Play-doh and muttering under 

his breath in a sing song voice. 

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son! 

The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! 

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun 

The frumious Bandersnatch!” 

The man next to him was a pyromaniac named Garfield Lynns. His case seemed pretty straight forward: the man liked to set fires, but, like many of the unique cases in Gotham, Lynns was more than a simple pyromaniac who had once had a promising career in Hollywood doing special effects until something tragic had happened. He had returned to Gotham and to a life of crime. But he didn’t just set fire;, the man had a full suit with flame thrower and jet pack that allowed him to set fires while in flight. It was really quite impressive--if frightening and dangerous--Harleen thought. The man was smart, an inventive genius like Tetch, a mechanical engineer, but he was obsessed with setting fires. She wondered if there was more there than simply pyromania? 

Harleen turned her attention back to Dr. Vane who approached her with the twins at his side. “Dr. Quinzel, let me introduce Drs. Alice and Archie Knots.” 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” the Knots twins said in unison both holding out different hands which forced Harleen to shake their hands with each of hers. 

Dr. Vane smiled. “They’ve agreed to let us observe.” 

Again, oddly, Harleen noticed, they continued to speak as one… 

“Today we have asked our students to make a temporary sculpture that represents whatever it is that is bothering them in their lives currently. Then they will destroy the sculpture. It is a lesson on the temporary state of everything, but more specifically of their problems.” The Knots twins smiled together, which Harleen was already finding strange. 

“Oh,” was all she could think of to say when they heard a sudden shout. 

“YOU KNAVE!!” 

Everyone turned to see that Jervis was on his feet, but what had everyone's attention was that his pile of Play-doh hats were burning. 

Lynn sat with his hands around the fire, laughing maniacally. “Watch all your hats burn Hatter!! BURN BURN BURN!!” 

Jervis snarled and yelled at the top of his lungs,"I told you butter wouldn't suit the works!" before he lunged at Lynn, knocking the table over as he slammed into Lynn and knocked them both to the floor. The burning Play-doh rolled to the floor and against the wall where it caught against a corner of some artwork that had fallen to the floor. This quickly set up a rolling fire up the wall as more artworks caught fire. 

There was a split second of silence before the room erupted into chaos. One of the other patients stood up and began to scream like a police siren, a wail that ebbed and flowed. Several of the other patients began to scream and cry rushing to the far corner of the room. 

Vane cursed. “SHIT!” 

He ran across the room where a fire extinguisher leaned against the corner. He grabbed the red cannister and ran over to put out the fire while the twin physicians rushed over to separate the two scuffling men. Jerivs was sitting on top of Lynn trying to strangle him, while Lynn punched Jervis in the face repeatedly. Harleen frowned, not quite sure what to do with herself, but she ran to the door and yelled for a orderly. That was when the fire alarm decided to finally start going off. 

* 

An hour later Harleen was sitting in one of the doctors’ lounges. Vane had decided that it might be a good idea for her to take her break while he helped the Knots get patients settled and to their rooms. She had offered to help, but all three doctors had insisted she take her break. 

Harleen frowned as she sipped her coffee she had gotten from the machine in the lounge. It was weak and bitter, but it was warm, plus with the amount of sugar she had added in an attempt to sweeten the bitterness, it was more like thick caffeine syrup than coffee. 

She sighed and leaned back, her head coming to rest against the back of the couch. She was still annoyed that they hadn’t let her help. Yes, she was the new guy, but she was still a doctor--she had been trained for this! 

Harleen sighed again when she heard the sound of shouting coming from down the hall. She was in the downstairs lounge near the intake area of the asylum. She had come down here after the other couple of lounges had one, been occupied by Dr. Huntoon who had given her a dirty look, and two, the last one she had tried, the coffee maker had been producing sludge. This lounge’s coffee maker was at least working even if the coffee tasted more like someone had just warmed up the coffee from a week ago. She heard another shout followed by the sound of running feet. She looked over to the open doorway where she saw several guards running by. 

Harleen frowned, setting her cup of coffee aside and hurried over to the doorway, wondering what could be happening now. She looked down the hall to see the guards disappear around the corner. They were heading toward the Intensive Treatment patient entrance, not the public patient entrance, but the one that Dr. Strange had told her was used to move patients who were coming from Gotham General hospital or from Blackgate, possibly dangerous patients… 

Harleen’s blue eyes brightened. 

She hurried down the hall following the sounds of shouting and tense voices only to come around the corner and stop short. She backed up and stopped at the corner where no one could really see her. 

There had to be at least six armed guards, all with their guns out. She saw that one of them was the head of security, Aaron Cash, and another was Frank Boles. She also saw Dr. Strange and Dr. Arkham speaking to a man in a police uniform with a clipboard in his hands, but her attention was drawn to the handcuffed man being led inside by six armed policemen, laughing and smiling as if he had not a care in the world. 

“Oh! Hey guys! Long time no see! Ya’ll miss me?!” 

Harleen’s eyes widened as the group of men brought in the Joker. Harleen bit her bottom lip in pleased surprise. 

“All his paperwork is in order Dr. Arkham, he’s all yours...again.” The man with the clipboard grinned. “Maybe try to keep him a little longer this time.” 

Dr. Arkham gave the man a defeated look as he took the clipboard and signed at the bottom, but it was Dr. Strange who snarled, “That’s enough.” Strange turned to the armed guards and motioned to the upright gurney with thick leather straps that was waiting, surrounded by Arkham guards. “Get him on there and strapped down, now.” 

“Ooh that looks kinky and fun! Anyone going to do a strip search? A good old cavity search? Don’t know what I might be hiding up the old keister!!” Joker laughed. “I’m always up for a little fingering!” 

Strange snarled again. “Shut up Joker.” 

Joker laughed as he was shoved violently up against the gurney and roughly strapped down, the guards fastening thick straps around his wrists, ankles, chest and waist. The clown didn’t fight back, simply let them secure him. “Ooh ,you wanna come over here and make me Strange old buddy?” Joker giggled. “Pretty please? Come make me shut up.” He dropped his voice to a low menacing purr. “You know I like the rough stuff, dontcha Strange?” 

Strange sighed with a glare at Arkham. “Did you bring the sedative?” 

Dr. Arkham glared right back at Strange. “I did, but we can’t sedate him unless he is being violent or uncooperative, neither of which he is being. He is just being a disgusting smart mouth.” 

Joker laughed. “Nope, I’m being the bestest of best boys! I really want my gold star. OOOh and maybe a cookie!!” 

Harleen put her hand over her mouth to cover up the giggle that wanted to bubble up. He was pretty funny, she thought. 

That was when the Joker’s head snapped around toward her. 

She wasn't sure how, but Joker heard her. When he saw her standing at the corner Joker looked suddenly perplexed. He blinked, looking surprised, his eyes wandering down her figure and back again to her face, but when Harleen lowered her hand and smiled, Joker smiled back. 

Strange growled. “All right, let’s get him to his room.” 

Strange looked pointedly at Arkham. “We’ll sedate him, rules be damned, then perform the intake. I want him stripped, searched, and in an Arkham uniform and straightjacket within the hour.” 

Arkham didn’t look happy, but he didn't argue. 

Joker turned his attention back to Strange, grinning. “Hey! Aren’t you gonna buy me dinner? Maybe give me a kiss first before you go searching me? A boy likes to be made to feel special you know!” 

Harleen giggled and Joker looked over at her with a big smile, followed by a wink. 

Strange growled. “Get this deviant out of here, now.” 

Harleen rushed back to the lounge, her heart beating quickly. She put her hand against her chest breathing deeply, but she smiled with pleasure. 

The Joker was here at Arkham Asylum. 

And this might be her big chance...


	3. Establishing Control

For the rest of her shift, Harleen was kept busy with Dr. Vane. She didn’t say anything about running down to see Joker while he was being admitted. She wasn’t really sure why she didn’t say anything, as she didn’t exactly think she would get into trouble, but that moment when Joker had looked down the hall at her, as if he had heard her laugh above anything else going on, he had looked right at her, smiled and winked. The entire interaction had felt like a secret, a little secret between the two of them, between her and the Joker. So she hadn’t shared it with Dr. Vane, or anyone else. It was her special moment which made her all the more convinced that she would be the one to cure Joker. She just wasn’t sure why, but she felt in her gut she would be the one to get to the real man under the smile. 

Harleen let out a little sigh as she followed Dr. Vane through the rest of the day. He took her to the music therapy lessons where she met Dr. Maria Andrade, then Vane showed her the hydrotherapy room with its rows of bathtubs and their covers along with personal sauna boxes (which Harleen had never heard of being used as a form of therapy for patients who were mentally ill. She wasn’t sure about their use, but she also wasn’t sure about the effectiveness of hydrotherapy either. But then again, those areas were not her speciality.) Vane took her to the common area where the patients could watch the television (currently Sesame Street was playing) and mingle. There were only a handful of patients down here, a man named Roger who carried on a conversation with the television, a woman named Nat who rushed over to her and took Harleen’s hand while she whispered. “You’re gonna die here!” Harleen pulled her hand away gently while keeping a frown from crossing her features. Vane had called for some orderlies to take Nat back to her room. 

The last part of her day was spent with filing and doing other paperwork, learning the forms that she would need to do her job, where to file them and who to file them with and so on, the sort of job that would usually be handled by a secretary, but none of the doctors had their own secretaries. (Except Dr. Arkham, Dr. Strange and for some reason Dr. Huntoon all had secretaries, whereas everyone else did their own filing and paperwork.) 

* 

Harleen yawned. She had an hour before the end of her shift. She was in one of the rooms that held patient files, a rather small room packed wall to wall with filing cabinets. There were cabinets in the middle of the room that formed a sort of maze that consisted solely of metal filing cabinets filled to the brim with patient files. Vane had told her this was just one room of several that held files. There were files going back to the very beginning of Arkham Asylum’s founding. This room contained most of the recent patient files, though there were cabinets set aside in the adjacent room for the asylum’s more notorious patients. Harleen had to resist the urge to read though any of the files. It wasn’t that she wasn’t allowed--she was--as a doctor she had access to any of the files. (Vane had told her there were a handful that were marked confidential, but not many.) Harleen focused her mind on the task at hand, which was sliding removed intake papers into patient folders. Her back and knees had just began to hurt from her squatting for so long when Vane returned looking just as tired as she felt. He held a file in his hand and ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh. 

“Dr. Quinzel, I have to leave you a little early to see a patient of mine. Will you be all right on your own for the last hour?” Vane asked with a soft smile. 

Harleen, who was squatted down by a file cabinet with a pile of papers next to her, mindlessly going through the task and sliding misfiled papers into their proper patient folders, nodded and pushed her glasses up with her forefinger as she looked up at him. “Yes of course. Well, unless any of these papers decide to get obnoxious, then I’m not sure I could handle that.” She giggled softly. Vane smiled, his entire demeanor changing as he stood in the room looking like he wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself. He hadn’t looked nervous with her all day, but now he looked very 

nervous. Harleen glanced over the top of her glasses at him, confused by his change in demeanor. 

“Ah, Harleen...ah...when is your day off?” Vane asked while trying his best to look like he was just asking a question for no particular reason. 

Harleen frowned in thought. “I don’t have a day off for the next two weeks I think…” 

“Oh yes that’s right, since you’re new, you won’t get your first full day off for a while...ah...maybe...” He looked flustered. “Ah, would you like to have dinner with me say Friday night at the hospital cafeteria?” Vane asked with a shy smile. 

Harleen beamed. “Hospital cafeteria dinner date? How could I say no?” 

Vane frowned for a moment. “Is that a yes?” 

Harleen giggled. “Yes, I would love to have dinner with you Friday night. Thank you for asking.” 

Vane grinned taking a step backwards and hitting one of the many file cabinets with his elbow. He jumped turning to look at the cabinet as if it had surprised him before turning back to Harleen. 

“Well, ah, thank you for accepting. I’ll pick you up? Or meet at the cafeteria?” 

Harleen smiled. “How about we meet there?” 

Vane nodded. “Good, good, well...see you tomorrow then--at work...” He frowned looking embarrassed. “Of course at work…” He pointed behind him. “I need to go.” 

Vane turned and hurried out. Harleen smiled to herself. She had a date!! A date with a doctor too--wouldn’t her mother be happy? Harleen snorted at that thought before thinking about Dr. Vane. Dr. Wyndham Vane was attractive, close to her age, a doctor; he wasn’t a bad catch. She wasn’t exactly attracted to him, but she liked him well enough, and who knew? Maybe something would spark? She started to go back to her filing and stopped, going still, her fingers on the files, as a paper lay limply in her hand. She looked up, her glasses having slid down her nose, with a slight frown between her eyebrows. She was alone, with the files, she mentally reminded herself. All alone… 

Harleen stood up and picked up the papers she had been working on filing. There was no way she was going to get them done tonight. Vane had told her to finish what she could and put the rest in the file cabinet in the other room. So, what if she quit a little early..? 

Harleen hurriedly grabbed up the remaining papers and did just that, putting the papers away in their little cabinet before she set out for her goal, to find the Joker’s file! 

* 

Finding his file hadn’t been nearly as difficult as she thought it might be, though Harleen had gotten off to a false start by looking in the sealed and “special” files cabinet. She had found nothing there with Joker’s name on it. She had just assumed Joker’s files would be sealed or off-limits, but she was wrong. His files were easy to find, and boy--were there a lot of them! Joker had a whole drawer dedicated to just his files. Harley counted at least ten separate file folders for Joker alone along with tapes, dozens of tapes with session numbers and years written on them starting as far back as 1959 with session one (which wasn’t a cassette tape, but a reel to reel tape, as were many of the others.) 

Harleen picked the first tape up. The round reel of tape held Joker’s first visit to Arkham. How on earth was she going to listen to this? She glanced at the cassette tapes. She pursed her lips; she did have a cassette player. She frowned as he fingered the files, trying to decide if she would get in trouble if she took them back to her apartment along with a handful of tapes… 

Harleen pulled two of the cassette tapes from 1973 and 74, shoving them into the pocket of her doctor’s coat and five of the files out. There was no way she could sneak out with all of the tapes and files, but five? She wasn’t sure she could even sneak out with five of them, so she was going to do the next best thing. She was going to own them, walk out of the asylum with the files in her arms as if she was supposed to have them. People she knew usually didn’t think twice about someone if they acted like they weren’t doing anything wrong and if she acted like she was supposed to have to files, then no one would stop her. 

Harleen smiled gathering up the files and headed out, her glasses pushed up and her head held high. 

* 

Harleen stopped at the cafeteria on the way back to her apartment to grab herself a chicken salad sandwich and a banana muffin along with a small carton of milk, then hurried to her new home. Once she was back in her rooms, Harleen laid the files out on her bed, rummaging around in a box of things she hadn’t quite unpacked (instead she had stuffed it in her closet) and pulled out the cassette recorder and player. She flipped it around and quickly checked that it had batteries and that she hadn’t left them in there long enough to corrode. Thankfully, they were fine. She couldn’t remember the last time she had changed them, so she could only hope they had enough juice, because she couldn’t find her cord to plug the recorder in. 

Harleen stared at her treasures before deciding to shower first. Then she was going to spend her evening reading and listening. She made a happy squeak and headed to the bathroom. 

* 

An hour later, freshly showered, her hair rolled into curlers, Harleen sat cross-legged on her bed dressed in pink babydoll nightgown with the Joker’s files spread out in front of her, her tape player on the bed beside her, her chicken salad sandwich by her knee on a napkin, and her milk beside her. On the bed next to her hip lay her journal and a pen. Harleen picked up her sandwich and took a large bite before she picked up one of the tapes, labeled session 104 from 1973. She chewed thoughtfully as the slid the tape into her tape player. It was odd, she thought. If the Joker had been coming here to Akham since 1959, there should be more tapes than what she had found, more sessions than only 105 over that long a time.

Harleen chewed on her bottom lip as she contemplated what that meant. Maybe he wasn’t here that often over that time or maybe he didn’t have that many sessions for reasons she didn’t know yet. She knew he was a killer, but still, there should have been many more tapes! Harleen felt a spike of annoyance at the hospital staff and pity for the man. Maybe the asylum wasn’t giving Joker the attention he needed? A patient like him needed constant one-on-one attention, a doctor who could be available night and day at the patient’s need (unless it was clear the patient was playing a power game with the doctor of course), but Joker’s case was so special, so unique that he needed a dedicated doctor. Harleen had to wonder how many doctors the poor man had been through? oker had never been given the chance to build a trusting relationship with a doctor. 

She pushed her glasses up her nose, picked up the first file folder, and laid it oped in front of her. The paper on top was labeled 1961, and she saw an image of the Joker attached to the file, smiling at the camera. His hair looked much the same as it did now, though maybe a little longer and it was a mess in the photo. The picture, held in place with a paperclip, was in black and white though she could tell that his hair was probably that same rich green color, his skin pale, and his eyes an unusual shade of blue. His smile was infectious she thought. She noted gaps in between some of his teeth, especially his front two upper teeth, which didn’t make his smile perfect, but they did make his smile more interesting she thought, attractive in its own, special way. She wasn’t sure why she liked the fact that his two front teeth had a gap, but she did. He was really rather attractive. As she studied the photo, Harleen could see that Joker had been beaten. Spots of blood were visible under his nose and over his lips, along his chin, and bruises--showing up as dark splotches against his pale skin--dotted his face. 

Harleen ran over the first part of the file which described his overall physical health at the time of his admission for this file. As Harleen read, her frown deepened. The file read: 

Subject was admitted this evening, brought in by the Batman. Subject has suffered minor lacerations in the last two hours, bottom lip has been severely cut and is swelling, possibly cut on teeth. There is evidence of multiple impacts to the face, multiple bruising, broken ulnar on left side and bruised kidneys, all sustained within the last two hours. 

Harleen gasped quietly. She picked up another file, examined the photo, then read Joker’s condition on admittance. Each one was, with slight variations, almost the same. She would have to examine all the files to see exactly when the abuse had begun. She worried that it might have been happening all along, police brutality. And then there was this Batman! How could anyone expect Joker to make any progress if he was beaten? 

She shook her head and read Joker’s diagnosis: homocidal maniac, manic depression, delusions of grandeur, anti-social, genius level intellect, skilled in hand-to-hand combat...Interesting she thought as she continued to read. Chemist? Harleen’s eyebrows rose a fraction. Very interesting. Joker’s past is unknown to both the doctors and to himself. 

Harleen looked up from the notes. Memory loss? Now that was intriguing. 

She continued to examine his picture, the image of a man who had clearly been beaten by someone, probably Batman, the police...or both. 

Harleen snarled angrily to herself, dropped the file and reached over to take an angry bite of her sandwich before she pushed the play button on her recorder, picked up her journal and pen, and began to take notes. 

The recording began. 

“This is Dr. Carl Skinner. I will be conducting a therapy session with Mr. Joker…” 

Joker chuckled. “It’s just Joker or THE Joker.” 

Skinner sighed. “All right--Joker. The patient has exhibited a wide range of mental illness that make it…” 

Joker giggled. “I like to keep it interesting, you know. Don’t want you all getting bored with me.” 

Skinner cleared his throat. “Joker, you will remain quiet until I ask you a question, all right?” 

Joker sighed. “Oh fine, continue.” 

“Thank you, now, as I was saying, the patient…” 

Joker interrupted. “That’s me!” 

* 

Harleen giggled as she listened. She liked the sound of Joker’s voice. There was a roughness to his voice, almost like he had a sore throat that had damaged his vocal chords, but there was also a higher pitch to his voice. She wasn’t sure if she was describing his voice correctly in her journal, but she tried. Joker’s voice was musical, addictive, pleasant on her ears, giving her little appreciative shivers. She smiled, continuing to write down notes. 

* 

Skinner sighed, but continued as if the Joker hadn’t interrupted him. “We are trying a different treatment today…” 

Joker piped up. “Ooh, I always like new treatments! Are ya gonna shock my brain again doc? Maybe stick an ice pick in the old noggin and stir things up a bit? Oh, I know! You could do my favorite! A water hose!!” Joker laughed. 

Skinner’s voice took on an aggressive tone. “Do you want to get better Joker?” 

Joker’s voice became soft, almost seductive. “Aw, doc, you gonna cure me?” 

“I will if you let me Joker,” Skinner replied. 

“Go for it doc! Let’s see whatcha got!” Joker laughed and Harleen thought she heard the sound of chains, which made her frown. 

Skinner rustled some paper. “I would like to talk about your childhood.” 

Joker laughed. “What about it? I was raised by monkeys until I ran away and joined the circus.” 

Skinner sounded annoyed. “Tell me about your father Joker.” 

“Mm...let’s see, my father was a member of the mob. He worked for a man named Grissom.” Joker giggled. 

The frown could be heard in Skinner’s voice. “I don’t believe you.” 

Joker continued. “My mother was an actress, a swimmer, president!” 

Skinner groaned slightly. “Joker, no lies. I want to understand why you are the way you are.” 

Joker’s voice became serious. “It was the death of my pregnant wife.” 

Skinner’s voice was soft yet eager. “Your wife and child died? What was her name?” 

Joker giggled. “Jeanie...I think? Maybe, I don’t know. Maybe she isn’t real? Maybe I was a stand up comic, an actor, a famous musician!” 

Skinner sighed with frustration. “Joker…” 

Joker’s voice was slightly sad. “Maybe doc, I just had one bad day…” 

“Joker, please answer the questions honestly,” Skinner growled. 

Joker laughed. “Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another. If I’m gonna have a past, why not make it multiple choice?! It’s so much more fun that way!” Joker’s laughter became louder and higher pitched, sending shivers up Harleen’s spine, then the tape ended. 

Harleen frowned, picking up the file she had started to read, leaning back on her pillows, her sandwich forgotten as she began to delve into Joker’s mind. 

* 

Harleen dreamed of clowns, and more specifically the Joker. He held her in his arms, moving her around in a slow dance, his smile spread across his whole face and to his blue, sparkling eyes. 

“Dr. Harleen Quinzel, what would I have done if you hadn’t come into my life? You saved me Dr. Quinzel. You saved me.” 

Harleen smiled back at him, her arms around his shoulders. “I knew you just needed someone to listen to you, to really understand you.” 

Joker threw his head back and laughed before grinning at her again. “You were right! If only those ignorant doctors had just listened to you...but that doesn’t matter now. Everyone knows your name Dr. Quinzel, the young, beautiful doctor who came to Arkham Asylum and saved the Joker.” He laughed again, spinning her around, both of them spinning in a circle. The colors around them became a blur of motion as they looked into each others eyes. 

“Thank you Dr. Quinzel,” Joker purred softly. 

“Call me Harleen,” she whispered back. “We know each other so well that I think you can call me Harleen.” 

Joker smiled and winked at her. “Harleen.” 

* 

Harleen woke with a start when her alarm went off. She jumped so much violently that she fell off her bed, taking the papers that she had dropped on her lap when she fell asleep with her. She hit the floor under a rain of file papers. 

“Ow! Ow!” Harleen yelped, getting to her feet. Her glasses were sideways on her face and two of her curlers had fallen out. 

She looked at the clock. “Ugh!” she yelped before she ran to her closet, yanking clothes off the hangers and started to strip as she rushed around looking for her bra, yanking curlers out of her hair at the same time, dropping them onto the floor as she rushed to the bathroom while muttering to herself about falling asleep on top of her covers and in a weird position. Her back felt sore and her head had been leaning against the back wall, while she had slept with her legs crossed. Not the best way to start her second day Harleen muttered, yanking her clothes on in annoyance. A few minutes later she emerged from the bathroom, her hair brushed out into large feathered curls making her look younger, her already soft features made sweeter by the large curls that brushed her shoulders. She wore a light blue skirt that fell just below her knees, but hugged her waist and hips, nude hose, and a white blouse with a buttoned up and a light blue fashionable bow tie. The outfit made her look young and professional; at least that was what Harleen had thought when she looked at herself in the mirror while applying her makeup. She pulled on a pair of simple beige box toe slip on shoes with a basic square heel that was maybe two inches giving her a little height to her already short stature, though not too much. 

As Harleen grabbed her purse, she glanced toward the Joker's files that now lay scattered across her bed. She decided to leave the files and tapes on her bed (and floor) thinking she might grab the rest later today. She looked at the files and papers, stepped over to the bed, grabbed up several sheets and folded them, sticking them in her purse. She would have liked to have cleaned them up and reorganized them, but she didn’t have time. Instead she rushed out of her room, heading down for breakfast. 

It wasn’t until she had gotten down to the cafeteria that Harleen noticed that it was raining. She tried not to groan aloud. After the curlers and brushing out her hair, the rain was going to make her curls fall out and her hair look frizzy! Her glasses would get spotted with rain drops, and of course...no umbrella! She sighed, wishing she had used more hair spray on her feathered hair as she got herself a plate of rubbery scrambled eggs, toast, and coffee. She sat down to eat, figuring she had a solid twenty minutes before she was expected in the meeting. 

Harleen ate her breakfast, unfolding the pages she had grabbed and was reading the notes in Joker’s file regarding the death of several orderlies. The deaths all pointed to the Joker, according to the doctor who wrote this, but there was no clear evidence it was actually Joker. Each orderly had died with a stretched out smile, their faces rigid, eyes bulging, and the smile fixed. Harleen thought it was interesting (from a medical standpoint) wondering how Joker had managed to attack the orderlies, all large men, and what he had done to create the artificial and slightly terrifying smiles. (The doctor, whose name she couldn't find on the papers she had, had included photos of the victims in the Joker's file.) The strangest part of the mystery was that Joker was found in his room still in his straightjacket at the times of the men’s deaths with no signs that he had gotten out of his jacket, or that he had struggled with the men. 

Harleen was finishing off her coffee when she heard the Joker's name mentioned. She glanced over to see one of the nurse’s, a strawberry blonde who made Harleen think of the model Twiggy with how skinny she was. The nurse also had that same short hair cut as the model. (Harleen knew she had been introduced to the nurse some time yesterday, but for the life of her couldn't remember the woman’s name.) The nurse and one of the security guards were sharing breakfast. The nurse shook her head, holding her cup of coffee in both hands. 

“I don’t know who they are going to get to work with him. I think if the doctors had their way they would shove Joker in a hole and forget about him.” 

The security guard, an attractive black man, nodded. “Yeah, the last doctor was found hanging in the supply closet on the first floor.” 

The woman shuddered. “I remember. None of the nurses want to be anywhere near him.” 

The man snorted. “Neither does security. Cash is the only one who doesn’t seem scared of him.” 

The nurse shook her head again and sipped her coffee. “If they ask me to do it, I’m gonna quit.” 

The man put his hand on her back and rubbed slowly. “Hey, it won’t come to that. No one wants to work with that clown.” 

Harleen smiled and bit her bottom lip. 

She got up, grabbed her papers, and returned them to her pocket before she headed out into the rain. She pulled her doctor’s coat up over her head and took off at a jog for the main building, wondering how she was going to convince Dr. Arkham to let her have Joker for her patient. 

* 

When Harleen arrived at the meeting, walking briskly into the room (and trying to act like her clothing wasn’t damp) she noticed that several of the doctors huddled in small groups, talking in hushed whispers. To her, it looked as if everyone was on edge. She frowned and made her way to her seat when Dr. Vane came up to her. 

“Good morning Harleen. How did you sleep after you first day?” Dr. Vane smiled at her gently, his hand coming to rest on her elbow for a moment before he pulled her chair out for her. She sat down with a smile at him. “I was exhausted, fell asleep on top of the bedspread.” She laughed. “I didn’t even finish my dinner.” 

Vane laughed too. “You’ll probably have several more nights like that before you get used to your schedule.” 

Harleen looked around. “What is everyone talking about? They all look so intense.” 

Vane frowned. “The Joker was brought in yesterday. When that clown is in Arkham, everyone gets jittery. No one wants to be assigned to him. The last time he was here, we lost two doctors, four orderlies and one nurse. He should be put in a medically induced coma or stuck in solitary, but the courts demand that he receive treatment when he's here.” Dr. Vane looked both ill and angry. Harleen was a little shocked at his attitude. “But don’t all patients deserve treatment? I understand he is murderous, but isn’t it our job to understand why and try to help him?” 

Vane shook his head, speaking down to her a little, which rubbed Harleen the wrong way immediately. She did not like to be talked down to. She had gotten that all through high school and college, and she would be damned if she put up with it here. 

Vane continued, unaware of the look of resentment on Harleen’s face. “You’re new here, new to being a psychiatrist, so let me put it this way: the Joker is beyond help. That man is more than simply a menace, he’s a demon. He doesn’t deserve help Harleen.” 

Harleen frowned, ready to debate Wyndham on how it wasn’t their job to decide who did or did not deserve help when Dr. Strange and Dr. Arkham came into the room. Everyone took their seats. 

Dr. Arkham sat down at the head of the table. He looked twitchy to Harleen as he leaned his elbows against the table and steepled his fingers. His eyes behind his glasses looked dilated to her, but she couldn’t be sure from where she sat. He looked to be barely holding himself together, which made her wonder what was wrong. 

“I’m sure by now you’ve all heard that Joker is back in our care.” There were murmurs among the doctors, but Arkham cleared his throat and everyone quieted down. “Now, Joker has refused to work with Dr. Strange, which leaves us looking for someone to work with our patient…” 

Dr. Huntoon spoke up. “I won’t work with him. The last time I tried, Joker threatened to stuff my eyeballs up my ass.” 

Harleen’s eyes widened and she had to struggle to force down a laugh, swallowing it and coughing. A few of the doctor's looked over at her, but Dr. Vane rubbed her back with a look of sympathy in his eyes, thinking that she had found Dr. Huntoon’s description of Joker’s threat disturbing. 

Dr. Milo shook his head. “He killed George Ramirez right in front of me. Sliced his throat open with a plastic knife.” 

Dr. Crane frowned, writing vigorously in a small black journal he had on the table in front of him. (He was delighted by how fearful his colleagues were of the Joker. He would love to use the Joker in his tests, but Arkham had refused him repeatedly, explaining to him that fear experiments with the Joker would only lead to more problems. The man simply didn’t understand what Crane was doing, the importance of his research, but Crane had stopped asking and instead used other means and other patients in his experiments.) 

Everyone murmured, but Dr. Leland spoke up. “Dr. Arkham, no one wants to work with the Joker. He’s threatened all of us at one time or another and he is simply too dang…” 

Harleen stood up. She hadn’t meant to stand up, but she did. “I’ll do it,” she said firmly and with confidence. 

The room grew quiet, all eyes turned toward her. 

“What?” Dr. Arkham asked, looking bewildered. 

“I said I’ll do it.” Harleen looked around. “I’ll take Joker as my patient.” 

Dr. Vane stood up next to her, the expression on his face a mix of concern and fear. “You can’t!” 

“And why can’t I?” Harleen turned to look at him indignantly. “I have a degree in psychiatry, I’m qualified, or Dr. Arkham would not have hired me. None of you want to work with him, then I don’t see what the issues are because I do. The man needs help--obviously. He would not act as he does if there wasn’t some deep issue that he needs help with facing, problems that he needs help to bring to light. The man needs a doctor who isn’t afraid of him, who is willing to dedicate their time to his wellness. Up until now, he has only dealt with doctors scared of him, so like a cornered dog he had snapped back. Joker needs a calm, steady and stable hand, someone unafraid of him, someone to force him to deal with this deep issues while at the same time making him feel safe!” 

Dr. Vane shook his head. “You don’t understand! The Joker isn’t just dangerous! He’s completely, irrevocably sick!” 

Dr. Huntooon began to laugh. “Oh, listen to Miss Anne Sullivan here. You think you’re the one who’s going to cure the Joker? Well I say have at it! Let her try! She’ll either be dead or too terrified to work--then maybe we can get a real doctor in here.” Dr. Huntoon smirked at her while folding his arms and leaned back in his chair. 

Dr. Crane looked up from his journal with a slight frown. “I say she should be allowed to try, because she may be right.” He gave Harleen a supportive smile. “She will be examining the Joker with fresh eyes. Perhaps she will see something the rest of us have not.” 

“You can’t seriously be considering letting her?” Dr. Sinner asked with her forehead creased in surprise. “No offense Dr. Quinzel, but you’re brand new. You haven't even had your first patient and you want to tackle the Joker? Either you’re as crazy as him--or stupid.” Dr. Sinner shook her head. “Even I’ve never tried my hand at that monster, I’m not that stupid.” 

Harleen looked both insulted and shocked that Sinner had called her stupid, but Dr. Leland spoke up. “I think it’s admirable that Dr. Quinzel wishes to do this. Unlike us, she hasn’t forgotten that it’s our job to help these people, no matter how horrible their crimes have been. The Joker is sick, he needs help. I say that she should be allowed to just that.” 

Harleen gave Dr. Leland a thankful smile. 

Strange looked down the table at Harleen, but he was whispering to Dr. Arkham while everyone argued. 

Everyone began talking at once and Dr. Arkham looked helpless to bring the meeting back under control. Harleen sat down in frustration as everyone began to speak louder, which soon degenerated into shouting, mostly their opinions against her having the Joker as a patient, until Dr. Strange slammed his hand down on the table, making everyone jump. 

“That is enough,” Strange said without getting up and everyone became quiet again. Strange looked to Arkham, who nodded. 

His voice sounded a little strained as he spoke. “Dr. Quinzel, you may have Joker as your patient. You may treat him in any fashion that you feel will be conducive to his getting better--basically you have full power over his care. But the first sign that you are in danger or that you have lost control of the situation, and then your time with him will be terminated and another doctor will be put in your place.” Arkham put his hands down flat on the table. “You must take every precaution when dealing with the man Dr. Quinzel, but I will allow you to treat him. I will inform the security staff as well as the rest of the staff that you have full authority over the Joker’s care.” 

Harleen did her best not to beam. She couldn’t believe on her second day she had gotten her chance to treat and cure the Joker!! It was like Christmas! This was the opportunity she needed to succeed! Once she cured the Joker, there would be nothing that could stop her. She would take the mental health world by storm! 

Harleen kept her smile under control, folding her hands in her lap and nodded. “Thank you, Dr. Arkham. You won’t be disappointed.” 

Dr. Huntoon snorted. “You’ll be singing a different tune by the end of the week.” 

Harleen gave Dr. Huntoon a narrow-eyed look, but Dr. Leland gave her a supportive smile. Dr. Vane shook his head, looking pale. “This is a bad idea,” he whispered under his breath. 

* 

After the meeting Dr. Vane grabbed Harleen’s upper arm and steered her away from the other doctors and down an empty hall, pushing her up against the wall. “Harleen, what were you thinking?! The Joker?” 

Harleen pulled her arm out of his grasp. “I was thinking that I am a psychiatrist and that it's my duty to help a patient in need.” 

Vane hissed. “But the Joker? No one can help the Joker!” 

Harleen frowned at him. “Wyndham, we are supposed to help everyone in our care. No one is beyond help.” 

Vane muttered. “He is, just…” He sighed. “Look, I won’t try and talk you out of this, but please, the first sign of a problem, don’t feel ashamed to step away from him. Not one of us here hasn’t been scared of the man, hasn’t been hurt or known someone that demented clown hurt.” 

Harleen smiled softly. “I promise, I will, but I’ll be fine. Maybe a new set of eyes and ears is all the Joker needs, someone with a new perspective.” 

Vane didn’t look convinced, but he didn't say anything more. “I’ll ah...how about I buy you lunch today?” 

Harleen nodded. “Sure.” 

Vane nodded, but he seemed reluctant to leave, taking one step away from her, looking at her with worry before he walked away. 

Harleen watched him go, turning around a corner and disappearing before she giggled and squealed to herself. The Joker! She had him!! 

* 

Harleen stopped in the women’s restroom to check herself in the mirror. She brushed her fingers through her hair. Her hair had dried from the rain, her curls hadn’t fallen completely out, but she now wished she had pulled it back into a bun. Now that she was really looking at herself, her feathered curls made her look too young, maybe a little unprofessional too. 

Harleen sighed, reapplied some lip gloss, and adjusted her glasses on her nose as she stared at herself. Her heart was beating at a rabbit’s pace with excitement. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror. 

“All right Dr. Quinzel, go introduce yourself to your first patient.” 

She grinned and turned to walk out of the bathroom with a briskness in her step. 

* 

Harleen found that Joker hadn’t been put in traditional solitary, but that he had a special solitary confinement area just for him located in the basement. Already Harleen was annoyed. Treating the man like a dangerous animal was going to make him act like a dangerous animal, a self-fulfilling prophecy. 

She sighed and made her way to the elevator, pushed the button for the basement, and waited with her arms folded over her chest. 

When the doors opened, she found herself in a dimly lit area. The walls of the basement were painted a dark grey, the floor untiled, dull concrete. When she stepped out, she saw two guards waiting for her, both armed with actual guns. One of the men stepped toward her. 

“I need to see some ID,” he said to her in a flat voice. 

Harleen had her ID hanging on a lanyard around her neck and held the card up. The guard examined, it then nodded. “Dr. Harleen Quinzel. You may go into the room, but do not cross the yellow line.” 

Harleen frowned, “Yellow line?” 

The guard began to walk, the other guard falling in line behind her as she followed the first. “Yes, there is a line around his cage--you’re not allowed to cross.” 

Harleen narrowed her eyes in annoyance, but said nothing as the three of them walked down a narrow hall into a large room. In the middle of the room stood a steel cage and in the cage was Joker. There was one light in the room, a bright, harsh light that shone down on the green-haired man in the cage. 

Harleen was appalled that Arkham Asylum even had a cage, let alone that they were using it for a patient! 

Inside the cage Joker wore a pair of orange Arkham Asylum patient’s pants with a matching scrub-like top. She noticed he was barefoot and sat on a bench. The cage held no bed, no mattress, no pillow, no toilet--nothing but a cage. No wonder the man killed people! They were treating him like a wild animal! 

The man had been leaning against the bars staring at the ceiling when Harleen was escorted into the room. Joker’s gaze flicked to his visitors, and he blinked in surprise when he saw her. 

Harleen turned to the two guards. “I want my patient moved to a room.” 

The guard who had checked her ID looked surprised. “Ah, we’re under orders that Joker is…” 

Harleen narrowed her eyes with a dangerous glint in them. “You’ll find that Joker’s care has been given to me. I am his doctor and I have full authority with regard to his treatment. You can check with Dr. Arkham or Dr. Strange--I invite you to, in fact. And as his doctor, I want my patient moved from this barbaric animal enclosure and into a room.” 

The two guards stared at each other in disbelief, the first one speaking again. “But ma’am…” 

Harleen snarled. “Do it or I’ll make sure Dr. Arkham knows you were disobeying an order from a doctor.” 

The guard frowned, but nodded. “Ah, all right, we’ll have him moved…” 

“This morning,” Harleen stated, then walked away heading toward the cage. She stopped at the yellow line that ran around the cage, with black block letters over the yellow that read: Caution, Do Not Go Beyond this Line. 

Harleen looked over at Joker, who was studying her with a smile. “Joker, I’m to be your new doctor. I’ll be in charge of your care. My name is Dr. Harleen Quinzel.” 

Joker stood up slowly, walking over to the bars. He wrapped his pale hands around the bars and pressed his face against them so that his face was framed on either side by steel. “You’re going to be my doctor?” 

Harleen nodded. She could feel that her cheeks were flushed, but she tried to remain professional and calm. In order to have control over the situation, she needed to act in control. “Yes.” 

Joker smiled at her. His intense gaze moved up and down her body in a way that made her want to squirm, but she didn’t. 

“Oh you are just so pretty, good enough to eat.” He waggled his green eyebrows at her before he ran his tongue along his upper teeth. “Just as sweet as a peach.” 

Harleen narrowed her eyes at him. “You are to be on your best behavior Joker--this is a chance for you to really make progress toward your recovery, but don’t think you can scare me like the other doctors. You won’t. I don’t scare easily. Good behavior will be rewarded with privileges, and the better you are the more privileges you’ll get.” 

Joker grinned. “Oh, I like you.” 

A smile tugged at Harleen’s lips. “So, do I have your word that you are going to be on your best behavior? That you’ll work with me?” 

Joker cast his eyes up in thought before he answered. “You know, I like your name, Harleen Quinzel. If you rework it a bit, you could be...Harley Quinn. If I can call you Harley, I promise to be on my bestest boy behavior.” He grinned at her. “Deal?” He stuck his hand through the bars. 

Harleen pressed her lips together looking at his offered hand. Joker wiggled his long pale fingers at her. This was a test of trust, he was testing her. If she wanted him to trust her, she needed to show him trust in return. 

Harleen walked over the line and straight toward the cage. One of the guards shouted at her, but she didn’t know or care which one it was as she stepped toward Joker and took his offered hand. 

His pale skin was warm, almost feverishly so. His hand was calloused, but not badly so. This close, she could feel his presence, and it was electrifying. His eyes were a bright blue, but she saw a ring of white around the pupils and his smile--she could actually feel his smile. He wrapped his fingers around her hand with a wide smile, but he didn’t yank her forward, didn’t attack. He didn’t do anything but shake her hand, his eyes bright with excitement as they shook. 

“It’s a deal Harley,” Joker purred softly. 

Harleen smiled. “Good. Then I’ll see you in a little bit in my office for our first session.” 

Joker slowly, carefully, so that Harleen was sure he wasn’t going to hurt her, brought her hand up to his lips. 

“I’m looking forward to it doc.” Joker cooed as pressed his lips to her knuckles. His lips were surprisingly soft, causing Harleen to blush despite herself as she pushed her glasses up.


	4. Moving Day

After seeing Joker in his cell, Harleen went to find out how she could have Joker moved to a regular room. She knew it shouldn’t be a room where he could freely leave and roam around the asylum. She wanted to treat her patient well and build trust, but she wasn’t a moron. Allowing a patient with a tendency for violence and murder to wander was just asking for trouble. But getting the man a room with a window, bed and a toilet of his own was not asking too much (that was just treating another person as a person) and it would go along way to building the bridge of trust she needed to help him. 

First Harleen went to security to speak with Cash, which ended up in an argument about moving Joker to a room. Cash was against the idea the moment she uttered her plan, giving her a long list of crimes Joker had committed several times he had been in a room before the asylum started putting him in The Box. (And now that Harleen knew that the guards had named the area The Box, the entire idea of it made Harleen even angrier.) After arguing with Cash, Harleen realized she was going to need Dr. Arkham to tell Cash to move Joker, since it was clear Cash didn’t think she had the authority to authorize the move. 

Somehow between her visiting Joker and going to argue with Cash, word had already spread about her wanting to move Joker to a room. Harleen did have the misfortune to run in to Dr. Huntoon. Dr. Huntoon, the pigheaded misogynist asshole that he was, had to argue with her about her stupid female sensabilities, and told her she was being an airheaded blonde for wanting Joker to be treated like any other patient. That had led to her and Dr. Huntoon arguing openly in the hallway. (Harleen noticed several other doctors walking past them rubbernecking. Harleen was sure the word of her moving Joker was all over the hospital by now.) 

While she was arguing with Dr. Huntoon, who was becoming more and more verbally abusive, Dr. Vane decided to come to her rescue, which Harleen would have been happy about, except Vane started to side with Dr. Huntoon. While Vane didn’t resort to insults, he did, with better vocabulary, tell her she was being stupid. Harleen seriously reconsidered her dinner date with him. The only reason she decided against cancelling was that she could see Vane was visibly upset and scared. She knew she shouldn’t blame him, because unlike her, he had dealt with the Joker and he also cared. So she would forgive him--this once. 

The hallway argument was drawing a crowd by the time Dr. Arkham and Dr. Strange arrived. Dr. Arkham initially took Dr. Vane’s and Dr. Huntoon’s side, telling Harleen that Joker was too dangerous to move, to which Harleen countered that Dr. Strange had given her the authority to treat Joker in any fashion she thought would be conducive to Joker’s mental health and recovery. A few more heated words were exchanged, feeling like half the staff of Arkham was surrounding them listening to the fight when Strange had finally cleared his throat. 

“The Joker is Dr. Quinzel’s patient. As I started early, and with Dr. Arkham’s agreement…” Here Dr. Strange gave Dr. Arkham a stern look that made the younger doctor go quiet. Harleen noticed a guilty expression settle over Arkham’s features. “Now, if she says moving Joker to a room...May I assume, Dr. Quinzel, that you will not be allowing Joker to roam free?” 

Harleen put her chin up. “Of course not Dr. Strange, but I feel that he needs to be treated as a person and a room instead of a cage is a step in the right direction. I’m not foolish enough to give him complete freedom, but I think the room is a start in the right direction to building trust between my patient and me.” 

Dr. Strange nodded. “We, as her fellow doctors, should trust our colleague’s decisions regarding her patient and we should also respect her as a fellow doctor as a matter of course--am I clear?” Dr. Vane and Dr. Arkham looked ashamed of themselves for arguing with her, but Dr. Huntoon wasn’t quite done. 

“Dr. Strange! I just don’t understand how you can trust this…” He motioned at Harleen with his hand, taking in her entire person. “...this...woman, to handle a patient as volatile as the Joker. 

And on top of that, she’s new! We all know that women doctors don’t work as hard as we men do!” 

This was met by several gasps, not just from the women who had gathered around for the argument, but from a few of the men, including, Harleen noted, Dr. Vane. (That made her smile a little. At least his concerns had nothing to do with her sex.) Huntoon wasn’t finished yet. 

“Women are too weak to handle violent patients, too sensitive, and too....” He struggled for a moment then added. “Emotional!” 

Dr. Strange snarled. “Dr. Huntoon--that is quite enough.” 

Huntoon’s mouth snapped shut when he saw the look in Strange’s eyes. 

“Dr. Quinzel is a doctor like the rest of us; her sex has nothing to do with her ability to handle a patient. Now, if we are all quite done making fools out of ourselves, I suggest you all get back to your own patients and let Dr. Quinzel worry about hers.” Dr. Strange narrowed his eyes before he turned and snapped. “Dr. Arkham, if you don’t mind…” 

Dr. Arkham sighed with a look at Harleen. “I’ll make sure that Cash knows to do as you ask, Dr. Quinzel--and good luck.” 

The crowd that had gathered began to disburse. 

Harleen pressed her lips together, trying not to grin, and covered herself by pushing her glasses up her nose. She turned back to Dr. Huntoon and Dr. Vane. 

Dr. Huntoon glared at her. “When you fail miserably, young woman, I’ll be smiling when I said I told you so.” He turned and left. 

Dr. Vane frowned and sighed. “I don’t doubt your skills, I want you to know that.” 

Harleen smiled. “Thank you Wyndham. I appreciate that.” 

He smiled at her and nodded. “I’m just worried...the Joker is dangerous, very dangerous.” 

“I understand that,” she said with a little nod, “but he’ll never get better if he’s treated like an animal Wyndham. He needs to be treated like a person…” Harleen began, but Wyndham cut her off. 

“I understand that...just...be careful around him, don’t trust anything he says, for your own well-being. All right?” 

Harleen smiled. “I promise.” She impulsively leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.” 

Wyndham smiled and blushed before he turned and left her. 

Harleen grinned. Another battle won. Now to move her patient. 

* 

The entire debate had taken almost two hours. That was including her time with Cash arranging an armed escort for Joker to his new room, room 0801. After a quick stop to make sure the bed had a pillow, blankets, a bulb in the overhead light, Harleen was once more heading down toward the Joker's cell with an armed escort of six guards. That was overkill if anyone had asked her, which no one did, but she didn’t argue with Mr. Cash. She was getting her way and that was what counted. If it made the staff feel a little better and didn’t interfere with her therapy plans for her patient, Harleen didn’t mind. Cash had a straightjacket and Harleen had a syringe with a sedative that she had hidden in the pocket of her jacket. She hadn’t wanted to bring the drugs since she didn’t think it was necessary, but Strange had come down to the security office with the syringe and had, without actually saying the words, told her she needed to take the syringe or he would think twice about the room for her patient. 

Harleen had taken the syringe, but she wasn't going to use it unless she had no choice, but she felt certain that she and Joker had already taken steps to build some trust. She didn’t think he was going to break that trust, at least not at first...or ever, she hoped. 

When she arrived at Joker’s cell, she found him sitting on the floor of his cell, cross-legged, his hands resting on his knees, and his eyes closed as if he were meditating. He was shirtless (the top of his hospital clothing lay on the floor next to him) and his feet were bare. Harleen felt a flush rise on her cheeks when she saw him. He was much older than her, nineteen years older to be exact if the records were accurate, but he was in excellent shape, with lean muscles in his arms and torso, and except for the hair on his head and eyebrows, he was hairless. He looked almost like chiseled marble, his skin white, though she thought she saw the hints of many pale scars. She was a little surprised at her physical attraction, but there was no denying the man was...Well...Harleen blushed and pushed those inappropriate thoughts away. 

When they entered the cell area, Joker opened his eyes slowly and smiled. Harleen felt a flutter when his intense blue eyed gaze landed right on her. Then when he smiled, Harleen felt like the smile was only for her. It wasn’t a mocking smile, or a ruthless murderer’s smile, but a genuine smile that she could see reflected in the blue of his eyes. 

“Dr. Quinzel.” He purred her name, bringing a shiver to Harleen, though she did her best to hide it. “You came back, and so soon. Careful--you might spoil me.” 

Harleen smiled, but tried to keep her expression professional at the same time. “I’m here to escort you to your new room.” 

Joker’s smile widened. “Really? Already? I thought the staff here would put up more of a fight Dr. Quinnzeel.” He drew her last name out in a way that made Harleen feel a shiver that shot straight through her, though not in an unpleasant way. 

Harleen shrugged. “I’m persuasive.” 

Joker laughed. “Oh I like that, and a personal escort? You are spoiling me doctor.” He fluttered his eyelashes at her and Harleen had to pull on every ounce of her professionalism not to laugh. Harleen stepped closer, walking over the line. She could almost hear the intake of breath from the guards as well as Cash when she took the step over the line, but the veteran guard didn’t stop her. 

“I thought it would make you feel more comfortable if I was with you,” Harleen said softly. 

She had come exactly for that reason, but also, after how irate Cash had become about the idea of moving Joker, Harleen hadn’t felt exactly confident that Joker would be moved without incident. So, in order not only to build trust with Joker, she wanted to make sure her patient was treated well. 

“You’ll be moved to room 0801,” Harleen told him. “And, if you are agreeable, we can have our first session this afternoon.” 

“Oooh this afternoon?” he asked with a little shudder through his shoulders as the idea made him giddy. “Well, I’ll have to check my date book, but I’m pretty sure I’m free.” He stood up slowly, seeming to unfold his long, lean frame while grinning, his intense blue gaze never leaving hers. “I’m looking forward to it Harley. So, whaddya need me to do for the move my dear?” 

Harleen smiled at him. “Mr. Cash is going to come into your enclosure with a straightjacket. I just need you to put it on without an issue.” 

Joker walked slowly to the bars of his cage, wrapped his pale fingers around the bars as he studied her. “All right,” he said with a nod. He lifted his eyebrows. “But might I suggest a change in that little plan. How about you come put the jacket on me.” He smiled. “You are my doctor after all, and wouldn’t that be another extension of trust, that you trust me and I can trust you?” He tilted his head at her, smiling that smile that made Harleen feel...warm. 

Cash stepped up next to Harleen. “Dr. Quinzel, I advise against that…” 

Harleen, still holding the Joker's gaze, put her hand up. “No, no...he has a point.” She didn’t look at Cash as she put her hand out. “The jacket please.” 

Cash hesitated only a second before he shoved the straightjacket into her hand. Harleen could feel the ire rolling off of the security chief, but he didn’t argue with her. 

Harleen motioned with her head. “Step away from the door.” 

Joker purred. “Anything for you Harley.” 

Cash barked out orders. “Put your back to the door, hands behind your back.” 

Joker gave Harleen another smile with a wink before he stepped over to the spot he knew he was supposed to stand and put his hands behind his back. 

Cash walked over and unlocked the door to the cage with two other guards. Cash walked into the cell before Harleen stepped inside. “Put your hands on the bars and spread your legs.” Joker put his hands on the bars, wrapping his long fingers around them, and spread his legs wide. “Oh Cash, you gonna do a cavity search? In front of the good doctor?” Joker chuckled. “I mean, I knew you liked me, but you really should learn to control those manly urges of yours…” 

Cash snarled, “Shut up.” 

He quickly patted Joker down, finding nothing. 

Joker giggled. “Ooh a little higher up there Cash and you’ll make me sing like a bird! Tweet! Tweet!” 

Cash narrowed his gaze with a frustrated shake of his head, but said nothing. He finished, and motioned for Dr. Quinzel to enter the cell. Once she was inside, she motioned to Cash to step back. 

Cash frowned. “Ma’am, I…” 

Harleen gave Cash a stern gaze. “Joker is my patient, remember? If there is trouble, you can step in, but he is unarmed and I think I’m safe in assuming he would like a room. Am I correct Joker?” 

Joker looked over his shoulder at her. “May I turn around Harley?” 

Harleen pushed her glasses up and nodded, though she smiled. She was uncertain why, but she liked the way he called her Harley. “Yes.” 

Joker turned to face her, putting his hands behind his back. He grinned, rocking just a little on his feet. “You know? I like this game. I never thought I was into dominatrix stuff, but I could get used to this asking permission stuff. Do I get a spanking if I’m bad?” Joker grinned at her, his eyebrows up in a hopeful expression. 

Cash snarled. “Shut your filthy mouth clown.” 

Harleen tried to keep her expression cool and professional, but Joker was a little bit adorable with that over-the-top innocent look. Instead, she walked closer to him, holding up a hand to calm Cash. 

“Put your arms out for me,” she said to Joker. 

Joker put his arms out and Harleen stepped closer to him. He smiled at her, and this time his smile wasn’t all teeth, but just his lips, (which she noted were formed to be sensual. Sensual lips on a man were extremely attractive she thought.) His blue eyes followed her every move. Harleen slid the straightjacket onto his arms. Joker watched her, the smile on his lips never leaving his face. Once she slid the garment up his arms, the sleeves of which were several inches past his hands, Harleen walked behind him. Joker watched her, though he didn’t move, only dropping his arms to his sides and standing still while she walked around to begin buckling the jacket closed. 

Harleen’s fingers brushed against his back, causing goosebumps to rise on his skin and rush to his groin. Joker didn’t move, but the touch of her fingers startled him. Attraction, beauty, sex, were not things he even thought about, at least not for long, and not in relation to himself. He only thought about them when it came to destroying them, subverting or making a joke. Sex wasn’t something he was interested in, he actually thought of it as probably boring, unfunny, but destroying beauty...now that was funny. People became so upset when you killed something beautiful. But the urge to engage in sex wasn’t there for him. But with this Dr. Quinzel, he was experiencing sensations he had never felt before, needs and urges that were alien to him. 

She was beautiful, the most beautiful thing he had ever encountered and the urge to destroy her wasn’t there. If anything, that usual feeling was replaced with covetousness, the desire to be near or with her. She stirred things in him that he had never experienced before, which made her incredibly interesting, fascinating. It really had been a long time since anyone other than Batman intrigued him. (Even the other few vigilantes in Gotham City were tedious, dull.) He hadn’t decided if he was going to kill her, but if she remained this entertaining, he might want to keep her. He smiled at the thought of having her, keeping her as his own little toy. That was another new sensation for him, wanting something of his own to keep. Possessions were fleeting, friends a false joke, allies were expendable, but this Dr. Quinzel was something else altogether. And the best part was that he could tell that she thought he was funny. 

Harleen carefully and slowly buckled up the back of the straightjacket, making sure it was secure, but not so tight that he would be uncomfortable. Once she had the buckles secure, she walked around to the front, glancing up at him as she reached down and grabbed the strap that hung in front of his groin. 

Joker smirked at her. Long curls of green hair framed his blue eyes when he looked down at her and whispered for only Harleen to hear. “Careful there doc--I’m a sensitive boy.” 

Harleen whispered back as soft smirk tugged on her lips. She couldn’t stop herself from looking, Joker looked like he might be...she swallowed, of descent size. Suddenly the idea of what Joker looked like completely naked caused a flush to burn up her neck to her cheeks. She couldn’t keep the slight amusement out of her voice as she murmured. “I’m sure you are.” 

He giggled. “Oh, I do like you.” 

Harleen smiled at him and slid the strap between his legs, stepping around him to buckle the strap between his legs to the back of the jacket. Once she was finished, Harleen walked back in front of him again. 

“Joker, can you cross your arms for me, hands under your arms?” Harleen asked. 

Joker grinned at her. “Anything you say Harley, my sweets” 

Harleen wanted to scold him for calling her ‘sweets,’ but she didn’t. She liked it and she decided that by allowing him to continue to use pet names, it would simply build the trust between them, but maybe she should add her own pet name into the mix. 

“Thank you, Mr. J.,” Harleen said as she walked behind him and began to strap his arms in place so that Joker looked as if he were hugging himself. 

She smiled at him. “Now, ready to see your new room?” 

Joker smiled brightly, showing all his teeth, and his blue eyes twinkled. “Lead the way doc!” 

* 

Harleen walked beside Joker, the two of them surrounded by Cash and his guards. Joker grinned as he walked beside her, the two of them almost looking as if they were on a stroll in the park together rather than in the halls of an asylum. 

Joker found himself amused watching as nurses, orderlies, doctors, and other patients all rushed to scramble like scared little mice, to get out of their way and staring at him like he was the monster under the bed come into the light--which was so damn funny! He loved it. But he loved even more the fact that Dr. Quinzel was walking beside him. She walked with confidence, her back straight, eyes forward behind her glasses. While she walked, her blonde hair bounced in a way that made him want to run his fingers through it, to pull her head back while his tongue explored her throat. Her breasts bounced--just a little--but enough that he had a hard time looking away. He wondered what sounds she would make if he sank his teeth into her soft skin to make a mark while… He frowned, the thought going someplace he hadn’t expected, right to the idea of fucking her. The thought was pleasurable enough that his body reacted, his groin tightening under his pants and the confines of the straighjacket. Curious, he thought as he glanced over at her again. No, fucking her was still in his mind with a lot more dominance that killing her. He pursed his lips intrigued at his own rebellious thoughts, which made him think more about killing her, but the thought wasn’t as exciting as the other. He shrugged. No point in dwelling... 

He grinned watching her, realizing that the other thing he loved about her was that he could see that even she was enjoying the way the other doctors were looking at her with fright. The slight smugness to her smile that Joker thought even she wasn’t aware of made him enjoy her company a little bit more. There is a tiny dark spot in her that made her enjoy the startled looks, and the confidence in which she held herself was alluring. To make this new doctor more enticing, he didn’t think she was really all that afraid of him. Now granted, he couldn’t be sure yet if it was confidence, ignorance, or something else, but it would be fun to find out if he could break her or not. He shivered with a personal, silent giggle. Harley was going to be so much fun! He could tell and he could hardly wait to spend time with her! 

“You know Harley, I could get use to strolls like this, the two of us,” he said softly with a grin at her. 

Harleen glanced up at him. Her patient was smiling in a way that Harleen was beginning to feel was her smile, a smile he reserved for her. “Well, as I stated before, good behavior will end in privileges. Walking together can be one of those.” 

Joker seemed to contemplate the idea with a look up at the ceiling as they walked. A moment later, he asked with a grin. “Would painting my nails be one?” 

Harleen smiled. “Yes.” 

“Cigarettes?” Joker asked. 

Harleen considered. “To be reasonable, I might have to limit those to our sessions, but yes--eventually.” 

Joker shivered with happiness, smiling at her. “Ooh, I am looking forward to privileges.” 

Harleen pressed her lips together on her own grin, feeling another shiver of pleasure at Joker’s smile. Maybe she was already getting through to him! She knew it was too soon to make such a judgment, but still, it was possible that none of the other physicians here had treated Joker with the respect as a person that she was showing him now. She felt certain that she was building more rapport in her first day with her patient than anyone else here had bothered to do, if the reaction of the other doctors was any indication. 

It took them ten minutes to arrive at his room. Harleen unlocked the door and stepped in, Joker following her, along with Cash right behind him. 

Harleen turned and smiled at Joker. “Well--this is your room. You won’t have the freedom to leave your room--not yet--but if you work with me as I told you before, you have the opportunity to earn privileges such as decorating your room, books, and things of that nature. You’ll still have to eat alone in your room, or with me--since I am your primary therapist--but I hope this space will be more comfortable for you.” 

Joker grinned, looking around at his new room turning in a slow circle and filed away the idea of having a meal with her. “I love it Harley. So, when do I start earning privileges?” He turned to look eagerly at her. 

Harleen smiled. “Well, let’s see how our first meeting goes.” 

Joker wiggled in place. “Oo! I’m ready!” Cash looked on edge every time Joker moved, but he waited, watching carefully for any threatening moves from the dangerous patient. 

Harleen grinned eagerily herself. This was fantastic! With the Joker being willing to work with her, she’d have him cured in no time! She kept her features schooled, but the thought of rubbing her success in Dr. Huntoon’s face gave her a certain degree of pleasure. 

“We will start with having lunch together in my office and from there, we can talk and get to know each other. Does that sound good to you?” Harleen asked. 

Joker smiled. “I await our date eagerly.” 

A slight frown tugged down on Harleen’s lips at his choice of words, but she decided not to comment. “All right then, I’ll go and get everything ready. Mr. Cash will escort you to my office in forty-five minutes. Do you wish me to remove the jacket?” 

Joker flopped down on the bed, which caused Cash to jump and go for his weapon, but Joker simply laid down, crossing his bare feet at the ankles. “Oh, I’ll just wait until lunch. See you soon Harley.” 

Harleen smiled, pushing her glasses up, and nodded. “What would you like? I think the special today is baked macaroni and cheese with ice cream or pudding for dessert.” 

Joker grinned at her, his blue eyes twinkled. “That sounds divine doc.” 

Harleen smiled. “All right, I’ll go and fetch us lunch.” 

Joker watched her leave, ignoring the dirty look that Cash gave him over her shoulder as the head of security slammed Joker’s room door closed. 

* 

Cash turned to Dr. Quinzel after she had given him the key to lock the door. Harleen frowned when he didn’t give the key back. 

“Doctor I don’t think having him eat lunch with you in your office is a good id--” Cash started, but Harleen held a hand up to cut him off. “I am building trust with him. How many times do I have to repeat myself?” 

Cash frowned, then sighed and shook his head. “All right doc.” 

Harleen smiled. “I’ll be ready in forty-five minutes--just bring him to my office. Oh, can you have someone bring an old couch to my office? Oh and another chair would be nice too. If there is one available somewhere...” 

Cash frowned again, then shrugged. “Yeah, there might be one in one of the old storage rooms. I’ll send one of the guys to go check.” 

Harleen gave Cash a big smile. “Thank you so much.” 

With that Harleen turned and made her way to the cafeteria. 

* 

Harleen walked briskly down the hall, taking the elevator, then strode down another hall to the cafeteria. She was halfway to the cafeteria when Dr. Vane came out of another elevator and ran to catch up with her. “I heard from Cash you were going to the cafeteria to fetch Joker lunch? I thought we were having lunch together?” Vane sounded slightly hurt. 

Harleen didn’t stop her brisk walk. “I’m sorry Wyndham. I completely forgot. This is the first trust exercise with Joker, letting him each a proper meal and with me, so we can talk over food like normal people do.” She gave him a smile. “How about we have dinner tonight instead?” 

Vane failed to keep a downcast expression from crossing his features. “All right. Ah, are we still on for our date on Friday? I mean I know it’s just cafeteria food, but..” 

Harleen glanced sideways at him giving Wyndham her best smile. “Of course, two dinner dates this week will be nice.” 

Vane smiled at her, looking relieved. “Great, just be careful please. Joker is smart--a sneaky bastard.” 

Harleen stopped to turn and face him. “I know, but trust me Wyndham. I think he really wants to put in the work to change. He was excited by the idea. I’ll be fine.” 

Wyndham nodded and sighed. “All right.” He smiled. “I’ll see you tonight.” 

Harleen smiled and turned to hurry to the cafeteria. 

* 

When Harleen returned to her office carrying her tray of covered plates and cartons of white milk (she hadn’t even been to her office once today yet), she saw the room was plain with the same furniture that had been in it when Dr. Strange had first showed her the room, but now there was a second old office chair and a couch had been brought in. To her delight, it was an old, faded and torn chaise lounge. When Harleen saw it, she squealed quietly with delight. It was perfect!! 

She set the tray down with its covered dishes and hurried over to the couch. She didn’t have anything to use as a rag, so she stuck her hand into her jacket pocket...and found the syringe she had forgotten about. She pulled it out of her pocket with a frown, walked over to her desk opening the drawer at the front and dropped the syringe inside, forgetting about it almost from the moment she closed the drawer. She went back over to the lounge and used the inside of her coat to dust it off. After she had dusted the furniture off, she adjusted its position until she had it where she wanted it. Joker gave her a bright grin, his green curls flopping over his eyebrows. “Hey Harley!! I’m here for our lunch! Sorry I didn’t dress, but you know how it is--couldn’t find a thing to wear!” 

Harleen smiled. “You are just in time.” 

Cash frowned. “Where do you want him doc?” 

Harleen gestured to the second chair. “Just here, and would you close the door when you leave?” 

Cash frowned, but said nothing to dispute the doctor and nodded as two guards, holding Joker by his upper arms moved him into the room and sat him down in the chair. One of the two guards pulled out some handcuffs and started to cuff Joker’s ankles to the chair. 

Harleen gasped. “Stop that right now!” 

The guard looked up from what he was doing with a confused expression, glancing between Harleen and Cash. Cash looked annoyed, but motioned for the man to stop. 

Harleen smiled. “Thank you.” 

Cash stood aside as his two men left the room, Joker giving him a smug look. 

Cash glared at Joker. “We’ll be right outside.” 

Harleen nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Cash.” 

Cash closed the door. He seemed reluctant to leave and clearly annoyed. 

Joker giggled once the door was closed. “You are really getting under everyone's skin Harley!! I love it!” 

Harleen smiled. “Well, I’m just doing what I was hired to do, which is to help patients on the road to recovery. That includes you. Would you mind standing so I can unbuckle your jacket?” 

Joker stood, looking slightly amused. “Look at you, just tossing convention to the air.” 

Harleen began to unbuckle the jacket. “Well, we both agreed that you were going to behave yourself. If you hurt me or try to escape, you’ll be right back in the cage.” She frowned at the thought. “And I might be fired, or worse. So, I think it’s in both our best interests for you to behave yourself. Besides, I’m not feeding you,” she said with an amused smirk. “You can eat your lunch like an adult, can’t you?” She walked back in front of him sliding the jacket off his arms, swallowing a little as his naked chest became visible again. 

Joker stretched his arms over his head once she had removed the jacket, arched his back, then put his hands on his hips and stretched his chest out while standing on his toes. “I can.” 

Harleen flushed, looking away as she walked over to her chair on the other side of her desk. She set the jacket across the side of her desk before she pulled the lid off the food. She set a plate with baked macaroni in front of him, along with mixed vegetables, and chocolate pudding. 

“I would have gotten ice cream, but I figured it would melt,” Harleen said as she took her seat. 

Joker smiled and took his seat opposite her. Pulling his plate closer, he noticed that Harley had let him have a fork and a spoon. He smirked; she really was trusting him. Well, he would play along, for now at least, only because she was fun, but the moment he stopped having fun... 

He looked at the pudding with an odd expression. Harleen pushed her glasses up as she watched him. 

He lifted a brow as he murmured. “I adore chocolate pudding.” He grinned and picked up his spoon while grabbing the aluminum pudding cup, pulling away the top eagerly and diving into the pudding first. 

Harleen leaned back in her chair and laughed. “You don’t want to save your dessert?” 

Joker had eaten a big spoonful of pudding and swallowed before he answered her. “In my experience, you should take the good first, and take it quickly before someone takes it from you.” He motioned at the macaroni. “Everyone cares about this portion and they’ll take that too, but they will swoop in and take the best for themselves first, then everything else.” He took another bite of pudding, speaking around his mouthful while he motioned at Harleen with his spoon. “But the good parts are what will hurt the most when you lose them, because those are the parts you want to keep the most.” He frowned staring down at the pudding cup in his hand. “The pudding is what you’ll remember when the rest of the meal is gone.” He smiled sadly. “Like memories...the perfect ones. The good ones are the ones time will try to steal from you first, leaving the hurtful, painful ones behind to torture you…” 

Harleen watched him and listened carefully. Joker was looking into somewhere else--though she had no idea where he was looking. Was he remembering some of his forgotten past, or was it something more recent? She couldn’t know, but she could see a glimmer in his eyes, maybe it was a trick of the light, but she thought she saw a tear there. Whatever he was thinking of was hurting him, and deeply. Joker stirred his spoon in the pudding frowning at it. 

Harleen asked softly. “Do you want to talk about it?” 

But as quickly as Harleen thought she saw it, the tears were gone with a sniff of his nose. 

Joker replaced the frown on his lips with a brilliant smile. “Wanna hear a joke Harley?” 

Harleen took a bite of her pudding, deciding to follow his lead. “Sure.” 

Joker wrinkled his nose with delight. “Okay. How can you tell if someone has short term memory loss? 

Harleen licked her spoon. “How?” 

Joker grinned at her. “How can you tell if someone has short term memory loss?” 

Harleen frowned. “How?” 

Joker smirked. “How can you tell if someone has short term memory loss?” 

Harleen stared at him, then began to laugh, slowly at first, then she fell into a full belly laugh. 

Joker smirked. Harley’s laugh was beautiful, the most beautiful laugh he had ever heard! And seeing her let herself go, really laugh, her eyes sparkling behind her glasses, her blonde curls brushing against her face… 

She was beautiful. 

Joker slowly began to laugh along with her.


	5. The Daffodil

Harleen noted Joker ate his lunch with gusto. She wondered if perhaps he ate like that because his metabolism burned calories at a record pace, or if was he starved as a child? The man was slender, though not scrawny; she would never describe him as scrawny. He was all slender muscle and ghost white skin. 

Harleen pulled out her notepad and pencil. “After today, I would like to record our sessions--with your permission of course.” 

Joker played idly with his plastic utensils holding the spoon up he had used on his pudding. “Sure doc, whatever you need.” He was quiet for a moment before he added. “You know, you can kill someone with a spoon.” 

Harleen stilled, but she kept herself calm. If he had wanted to kill her, he would have done it without saying a word, she was sure of it. Instead of exhibiting worry, she simply smiled while making notes. 

“You can?” 

Joker glanced over at her. 

Harleen felt a shiver when his eyes connected with hers. They were such an unusual shade of blue with an outline that almost looked white around them. Once his gaze locked with hers, it was hard to look away from him, but she wasn’t scared. Not exactly. She knew what he could do to her, how easily he could rip her throat out, kill her without a second thought. She wasn’t sure why she wasn’t afraid of him, but she felt more intrigued than anything. 

Joker’s smile was soft, no teeth, just a thin smile. Harleen found herself watching the way his lips moved when he spoke. “People think it’s a joke, but with a spoon you can carve someone’s eyes out like melon balls.” He giggled demonstrating with the spoon near his own eyes. “Pop!” He gestured with his fingers as if he was flicking an eyeball out. “Now that won’t kill them, maybe put them into shock, but once the eyes are out it’s easy to ram the spoon into their brain. You can also, with enough force, jab the spoon into the victim’s throat…” Joker held the spoon up to his own throat pressing the plastic against the soft place just under his chin while keeping his eyes locked on hers, his grin widening slightly. “Or, you can ram it in their ear.” He moved the spoon to his ear. “Now the easy way, the way most people would kill someone would be to break this since it’s plastic…” He snapped the plastic spoon in half leaving a jagged end. “Now it becomes easier to use, but…” he tossed the broken spoon down onto her desk. “...easy isn’t any fun.” He chuckled. “It’s boring, no creativity, no pazazz!” Joker shook his head. “I don't see the point unless it makes you laugh, do you doc?” Joker tilted his head at her and a lock of green hair fell across his brow in a way that Harleen saw as tantalizing. 

Stay professional, she thought to herself. 

Harleen tilted her head, her pencil unmoving. “Tell me Joker--why do you kill people?” 

Joker laughed. “Whoa doc, we just met! You want me to reveal my secrets in our first meeting.” He ‘tsked’ at her waving one long index finger at her slowly, moving it back and forth. “No no no, not on the first date toots. A boy likes to keep his secrets.” He gave her a coy smile. “Besides, you want to learn about the juicy parts of me, ya gotta earn that privilege on more than just your good looks.” 

Joker sat back in his seat, folding his hands on his lap. “How about we get to know each other doc? Tell me something about yourself.” 

Harleen pushed her glasses up with her middle finger. “Well, what would you like to know?” 

Joker smiled, running a hand through his hair as he pursed his lips in thought. “Let’s see, I’m gonna guess by the lack of a wedding ring that you’re unmarried? Divorced? Widow?” 

Harleen decided to play along, building her foundation of trust. “I’ve never been married.” 

Joker blinked in surprise. “Seriously? A hot little Sheba like you? Not dating? Not seeing anyone special?” Joker leaned forward and Harleen frowned for a moment, thinking that he might actually be interested. “What has the world come to?” He grinned at her. “Pretty little thing like you and smart; you should have men falling all over themselves.” 

Harleen blushed prettily, her cheeks pink. Joker frowned at himself. He had never seen anyone blush so...attractively. 

Harleen murmured. “Most men don’t like smart women, at least that was what my mother always told me, but I do have a dinner date with another doctor here tonight,” she said slowly. 

Joker stared into her eyes. The blue seemed so intense, it made Harleen’s heart hammer a rapid little beat. “I find intelligent women very attractive.” His voice was low and seductive, but then just as quickly changed when Joker made a face and stuck out his tongue. “Ew, doc really? Here?? Another doctor and one that works here and he’s taking you here? To the asylum? I’m assuming here since you said ‘here.’ Is it here? Right?” He pushed back from her desk to let his body go limp in the chair, moving to dangle one long leg over the arm as he seemed to melt into the chair, all lose limbs and liquid bone. 

Harleen blushed a little. “Yes, here, we are having dinner at the cafeteria. I don’t have a day off for at least two weeks since I’m a new doctor here. It’s difficult for doctors, as we all work long hours, so it’s just easier to eat here, especially since we all live here.” 

Joker frowned at her. “Really Harley, do you think so little of yourself that a dinner date here, at the asylum, seems acceptable to you? You are a beautiful, intelligent woman. You deserve to be swept off your feet, fine dining, romantic dancing, a walk under the stars ending with a night of great fucking.” He grinned when Harley made a surprised sound at his vulgarity. “If you were my girl, that’s what I would do, treat you like a queen every night.” He licked his upper lip slowly. “Worshiping at your altar...” He smiled dragging his teeth over his bottom lip. “...from top to bottom,” he purred. 

Harleen’s lips turned downward into a frown as her cheeks and ears burned. She took a breath and said, “Now it’s your turn to answer a question.” 

Joker wrinkled his nose at her, but his eyes were dancing with pleasure. “All right, fine toots, shoot.” 

Harleen smiled at him. “Have you ever dated?” 

Joker stared at her for a beat or two before he broke into a laugh. “Me? Date? That’s hilarious doc! I’m not someone who dates, or is dated…” He chuckled. “I’m too much for anyone to handle. I’m more of an idea than an actual person.” He grinned lopsidedly at her. “I’m not someone who is loved.” 

Harleen frowned at him. “Do you see yourself as a thing? An object unworthy of human love and companionship?” 

Joker grinned and wrinkled his nose at her. “Oh look at you, being all cute, trying to dig a little deeper, but my dear, it’s my turn to ask a question.” He gave her a boyish smile followed by an eyebrow wiggle. ”You are, Dr. Quinzel, a virgin?” 

Harleen frowned. “That is too personal and none of your business.” 

Joker snickered. “Oooh, touchy. My guess is that you are. Oh you wanted to give it away, but found yourself unable to. You just couldn’t make that necessary step to commit yourself body and soul to someone.” He shifted his position again, moving to once more set his elbows on her desk and dropping his chin to rest on his hands. The movement was so sudden that Harleen jumped, which only served to make him smile a little wider. 

“You are waiting for the white knight to come in and sweep you away, aren't you? Maybe one of these doctors will marry you and then you can stay home raising fat cherub babies while your husband cheats on you with all the nurses,” Joker mused, his tone holding a hint of condescension. 

Harleen narrowed her eyes at him, slightly angry and annoyed. “No, I’m not waiting for a white knight. If I were, then I wouldn’t have gone to school for my degree, because you have no idea how hard it is for a woman to be taken seriously as a doctor. My mother wants me to marry a doctor, sure,and maybe I thought about it. Yeah, I want to be happy, but I don’t need someone to protect me or save me. I’m perfectly capable of doing that myself.” She didn’t mean to hiss, but she did. 

Joker’s smile was wide, not the least bit put off by her sudden flare of temper. “Mm...so what are you waiting for Harley? If you aren’t waiting for a white knight to sweep you away, what do you want? Who are you going to give your cherry up for?” Joker grinned, but his eyes narrowed just slightly. 

“I don’t think that is any of your business,” she snarled. 

Joker’s expression was amused, but he sat back again. “Okay doc, your turn. Ask me a question.” 

Harleen frowned, her temper still simmering, but she took a deep breath through her nose and let it out slowly. “All right, since you brought up sex...what about your sex drive? Are you a virgin?” 

Joker frowned in thought, contemplating her question before he answered. “Honestly doc, I don’t know if I’m a virgin or not.” He smirked. “I suppose if I dont’ know, then I am. Sex drive…” He stared at her for a moment before he answered. “High.” 

“Really? But you haven’t engaged in any sexual acts?” Harleen began to write again glancing up as Joker shrugged. 

“Never met anyone I wanted to be engaged with as you so charmingly put it. At least, not yet.” He smiled at her in a way that made Harleen’s stomach flutter. 

Harleen frowned glancing back down at her notebook. “Do you think a lack of sexual outlet could be the reason for your need to kill?” 

Joker laughed. “Oh I don't have a need to kill, I just like to because its funny! People get so upset about something that’s so inevitable! We’re all going to die--I just hurry a few people along when it's amusing.” 

“Do you…” Harleen began, but Joker held up a finger. “Oh no, my turn, my pretty little doctor.” 

Harleen blushed. She tried not to but there was something about the way he said pretty little doctor that made her shiver. For a moment, she wondered how he could annoy her and make her feel...flustered and hot within nearly the same breath. “Sorry Joker, your turn.” 

Joker grinned like a satisfied cat. “All right Harley…” He drew her name out a little, almost like he was licking the sounds of her name, curling her name with his tongue. “Tell me something that you’ve never told anyone else, not any living soul. Think of it as a gift to me and I’ll tell you something I’ve never told any doctor, police, or even Batman.” 

Harleen frowned. “A secret?” 

Joker nodded. “You want me to trust you, correct? You want this to be special between the two of us don’t you?” He leaned forward once more, set his elbows on her desk. “Tell old Uncle Joker a secret. It doesn’t have to be a big one, just a little one, for now.” 

Harleen frowned as she recalled a deep secret she had held. She thought about it for a moment, decided it wouldn’t hurt, then said softly. “When I was in college working on my medical degree, there was this guy, Wayne Wilkins--real jerk. Used to harass me constantly, then one night I was studying late at the library, real late. I hadn’t realized I was alone, but Wayne did…” Harleen frowned and suppressed a shudder. The memory of that night still gave her nightmares sometimes, especially because of what might have happened. She swallowed and continued. “Anyway, Wayne found me, cornered me. He pushed me against some shelves, grabbed me...” Harleen didn’t notice how Joker’s face had gone still as he listened. His lips turned into a deep frown while Harleen continued to speak. “...he tried to assault me, shoved his hand under my skirt...yanked open my blouse…” Harleen took a deep breath. Joker’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t approve of rape, or sexual assault in any form; not only was it not funny, anyone could be a rapist. It required no skill, no finesse, and was usually surrounded by the need to dominate and control. He had no such compulsion, he didn’t need to dominate anyone and he was always in control, even when it looked like he wasn’t. Rapists assaulted others because they, in truth, were weak, and he was never weak. No, rapists were just the lowest of the low, like Nazis, Joker thought. 

“... but I reached down and grabbed his dick.” Harleen’s voice became hard. “I squeezed for all I was worth, I squeezed until he couldn’t scream any more, dropping him to his knees and then I ran out of the library. I ran straight home to my dorm room.” 

Joker asked softly. “Did you report him? Did you tell anyone?” 

Harleen shook her head. “No. Wayne Wilkins’ daddy had a lot of money and he was what they call a legacy. There was no way anything I could say was going to be believed.” Harleen swallowed before she continued. “For the next few days, Wayne’s harassment was even worse. He made loud condescending jokes within my hearing, grabbed my ass in front of everyone…” She shook her head. “So I decided to get even. I stole a female cadaver from the anatomy class...made sure to get a fresh one, one that hadn’t been dissected yet.” She smiled. “I was lucky that one of the students that did the paperwork on any new corpses that were donated to the school had been harassed by Wayne as well...she helped me get the body.” Harleen giggled softly. “Otherwise I don’t know how I would have gotten it. But she helped me transport the body to Wayne’s dorm room. We got it inside and put the body in his bed, then dropped an anonymous call to the university police and…” Harleen looked up, meeting Joker’s eyes. “Wayne was expelled for necrophilia. ‘Immoral acts unbefitting of a student and doctor.’” She giggled. 

Joker’s smile was slow, spreading across his face, reaching all the way to his incredible eyes before he broke out into laughter, a deep, from the belly laugh that made Harleen feel warm all over. 

Harleen giggled again, but then her giggle slowly turned into a full belly laugh too. “I really wish I could have seen his face when he found the cadaver in his bed!” 

Joker leaned forward wrapping his arms around his middle. “Harley!! You are brilliant!! That was fantastic!!!” He stomped his feet against the floor laughing. “I love it!” 

Harleen grinned with pleasure. There was something thrilling about Joker laughing with such clear and true enthusiasm at something she had done, a genuine heartfelt laugh. 

“I’ve never told anyone that story and the girl who helped me, Robin? She died a couple of years ago in a car accident, so no one but you knows now,” Harleen said softly, taking her glasses off to carefully wipe her eyes before sliding them back on. 

Joker smiled at her. “Your secret is safe with me Harley.” 

Harleen nodded, still smiling at her patient. “Now, your turn.” 

Joker tilted his head. “Hmm...a secret…” He tapped one long finger against his lips in thought before his eyes brightened. “Oh! I got one! I know who Batman is!” 

Harleen frowned at him. “That isn’t a very good secret because you could be lying and there is no way for me to confirm whether it’s true or not.” 

Joker pouted. “Well, you could be lying about the corpse.” 

Harleen smiled. “True, but my story, at least the part about Wayne being expelled for necrophilia, was in the papers. I can give you the date and...” 

Joker frowned, waving a hand at her in dismissal. “Fine, all right.” He pursed his lips. “Hmm...a secret...actually my sweets, I don’t have a secret I could tell you that I can back up with any proof...but how about this? One of the doctors here, one of the psychiatrists, is a murderer and they don’t know I know it.” Joker grinned and waggled his eyebrows at her. “How’s that for a secret?” 

Harleen frowned. “You’re lying.” 

Joker gasped, leaning back in his chair. “Harley! You wound me! You’re just assuming I would lie to you?” 

Harleen bit her bottom lip and leaned forward. “Who?” 

Joker smiled wagging his finger. “Oh no, I can’t give any names, but you should be careful--he likes to kill women.” 

Harleen leaned forward. “So you’re telling me that there is a doctor who has been killing patients?” 

Joker leaned back looking smug, a small smile danced on his lips. “No, not just patients. If you look into the files here at Arkham, you’ll find a lot of unexplained deaths. Mostly women.” 

Harleen bit her bottom lip harder with a deep frown thinking over what Joker had said. 

Joker smiled softly. “Really, you should be careful doc.” 

That was the moment there was a rap at the door and one of the guards called out. “Dr. Quinzel? Dr. Vane was just here, he wanted to remind you that you have other patients.” 

Harleen frowned in confusion. As far as she knew she didn’t yet, unless...she sighed. 

Joker tilted his head. “Something wrong doc?” 

Harleen shook her head. “No, not at all. I’m sorry, but that’s all the time I have for today. I need to put your jacket back on.” 

Joker held his arms out as he stood up. “Sure thing doc. Can I ask one more question? Oh, and a request because I think I’ve been a very good boy.” He giggled. 

Harleen slipped her pad and pencil into her coat pocket and walking over to pick up his straightjacket. Joker cooperated with her, holding his arms out as she slipped the jacket onto his arms. 

“Sure…” Harleen replied as she worked on the buckles at the back of his jacket. 

“What if I need to talk to you in the middle of the night? What if I need help?” Joker glanced over his shoulder at her. 

Harleen smiled. “I’m your doctor, I’m available at any time, day or night, that you need me.” 

Joker grinned as Harleen gently pulled his arms around, strapping them in place before she walked around to the front and crouching to get the strap between his legs. He looked down at her, her beautiful mouth at a perfect level... 

Joker went still watching her, moving his legs apart to make moving the strap easier, his thoughts suddenly filled with images of her mouth...on him...He scowled, confused by the sudden rush of feelings and intense urges that had nothing to do with killing... 

Harleen glanced up at him, his green hair having fallen forward to frame his face. His gaze was intense and his bottom lip was caught between his teeth. Her heart pounded, the beat thrummed through her entire body. She stood up slowly, her voice breathless. 

“If you need me at anytime, just ask for me. I will always be here for you,” she whispered. 

Joker smiled softly. “I like that.” 

Harleen shook herself to stop herself from staring into his eyes. “So what was your request?” 

“Could I have some paper to play with?” Joker asked happily. 

“Just paper? No crayons or paints?” Harleen asked after making sure he was completely secure. 

“Nope. I wanted to do some origami.” Joker replied with a smile. 

“Origami? You know how to do origami?” Harleen asked with genuine surprise and some confusion. 

Joker laughed. “Yeah, there was this yakuza guy I knew once, we were trapped in the sewers and he taught me...or was it a guy I was holding hostage…?” He shrugged. “I can’t quite recall. Anyway, yes I know how, but no one lets me have paper just because I made a knife once…” 

Harleen licked her upper lip in thought which Joker found seductive and strangely attractive. “I will have some brought to your cell as long as you behave yourself.” 

Joker grinned. “I’ll be better than a boy in a church choir! Just you wait!” 

Harleen smiled at him. “Good.” 

* 

Once Joker had been returned to his room with instructions that paper be brought to him to work with, Harleen made her way to Dr. Vane’s office. When she arrived at the door she knocked hard. “Enter!” 

Harleen pushed the door open to find Wyndham doing paperwork. “Since when do I have other patients? I thought Joker was going to be my sole focus?” 

Wyndham looked up, a smile breaking across his handsome face when he saw Harleen (and maybe a little relief that she seemed unharmed.) “ Harleen, it wasn’t me I promise. Dr. Huntoon fussed to Strange about you. ‘As a new doctor you shouldn’t be treating the Joker’ he said. Though Strange refused to take you off of Joker’s case, he did assign a couple of more...regular patients. I think he did it to get Huntoon off his ass.” Wyndham shrugged. “Though one of the patients belongs to Dr. Leland’s. She’s evaluating this guy for release, but she needs another doctor to sign off on him. Anyway, she’s expecting you. The other two patients are just regular people, one has a split personality and the other is a suicidal teen…” He smiled at her. “Sorry. I mean I understand you wanted to focus on Joker, but it might be good for you to see other patients. Joker can get under your skin…” he muttered softly with a frown and a moment of introspection, then perked up and smiled again. “We still on for dinner?” 

Harleen smiled. “Yes, of course. Ah, where is Dr. Leland’s office?” 

Vane pointed. “Just take the elevator down to the second floor, then take a right. Her name is on the third door in the hall.” 

Harleen nodded. “Thank you…” She turned to go, but Vane called out. “Hey, ah, did everything go all right with the Joker?” 

Harleen stopped in the doorway and turned to look back at him. “He was a perfect gentleman, mostly.” She laughed lightly. 

Vane frowned. “Really?” 

Harleen nodded. “Yes. I think he and I are going to be able to make some actual progress toward his getting well. I better go--see you later tonight,” Harleen said with another smile and disappeared. 

Wyndham frowned, worrying at his bottom lip before he sighed and went back to his paperwork. 

* 

The rest of Harleen’s day was busy. 

She worked with Dr. Leland on evaluating a patient, a young man who was a serial arsonist, both of them concluding that the young man was well enough that he could be released. 

Harleen worked with a patient with split personalities. Her name was Rose, which Harleen assumed was the main personality. During the session, at least six other personalities were on record, though Harleen was able to speak with several new personalities besides Rose; these new personalities were named Darren, Lisa, Hannah, and Pony, none of whom were listed in Rose’s file. Harleen found working with Rose to be an interesting experience since she had no reference notes for these new personalities to work from, but she had managed. 

After her session with Rose, Harleen worked with a suicidal teen named Billy, a sweet young man who had tried to hang himself. They had a productive session with Harleen leaving him with a list of exercises for him to work on until they met again. 

The last half of her day was spent working with a group session which she conducted along with Dr. Crane, who, unlike most doctors, allowed co-sessions, a mixed group of men and women. Crane sat next to her, perusing his notes. He looked up at the group, mostly men, but with three women. He turned his attention on an older man, balding and with tiny piggy eyes. “Now, Bryan, you suspect your wife of trying to kill you correct?” 

Bryan nodded. “Yes, yes I do.” 

Crane nodded. “And why is that?” 

Bryan frowned rubbing his hands on his knees. “I can only suspect her…” 

Crane smiled, looking over the top of his glasses at Bryan. “Are you scared of her?” 

One of the women, a lady named Dotty, started to laugh. “Oh, he's such a scared little boy!! You know what he’s really scared of? Women! He thinks we all got teeth in our pussies!!” 

One of the other women, a young woman no more than eighteen named Shirley started to laugh hysterically while hissing. “Pussy!! Teeth pussy! Pussy!” 

Crane smiled indulgently. “Is that really it Bryan? Are you afraid your wife will bite off your manhood?” 

Another patient who called himself Turtle giggled. “Ouch, eat that dick right up!! Yum yum!! I’ll do it, I’ll do it!!” he raised his hand. “I’ll eat it up!!” 

Crane smiled. “That’s enough Turtle, we all know you will. Please settle down.” 

“Everyone...please. We are here to talk about our fears. How about you Kenny? What is your fear?” 

Harleen wasn’t really sure why she was here. Crane hadn’t even asked her to take notes, though she could feel the tension in the room slowly rising as the patients became more agitated. 

Kenny sighed. “I just want my cigarettes.” 

That was when another patient named Joonbug started to scream, which set off the other patients. Crane smiled and leaned close to Harleen. “Joonbug there was burned in a fire when she was little. The scars are all hidden under her clothing, but she was burned over fifty percent of her body. Kenny likes to bring up cigarettes because he knows Joonbug is scared of them.” 

Crane sat back with a smile and jotted down some notes. 

Harleen looked around with a small, confused shake of her head. 

* 

When Harleen finally left work to head back to her apartment to shower and meet Dr. Vane afterwards for dinner, she was dragging, exhausted. It had been a long day. She almost thought about cancelling her date, but decided against cancelling. She was never not going to be tired; she might as well get use to it. 

She dragged herself into her apartment, kicking her shoes off at the door as she leaned back against it, closing it. She slid out of her jacket, tossed it over a chair as she dragged herself across her room. She groaned and stretched her arms over her head while walking into the bathroom where she stripped and turned the water on. She ran it hot before she stepped in with another groan of pleasure and let the water rain down on her. She smiled as the water plastered her hair to her head. 

Harleen smiled scrubbing herself clean while her thoughts drifted to Joker. She closed her eyes while she worked the soap over her body, letting the conditioner sit in her hair. She smiled a little secret smile, thinking of him shirtless. His skin looked like fine porcelain even with the scars, smooth, and soft. Her fingers tingled a little with the thought of running her hands down his back, along his arms, over his chest and down his stomach, wondering if he would jerk at her touch. She could almost see his muscles react to her touch. 

Harleen shuddered, dismissing the thoughts and turned to more productive things like thinking about their session. She was sure she had actual made real progress with him today. Most of Joker’s other doctors had been attacked in the first session, but he had actually spoken with her. He had only made a half-hearted attempt at scaring her with the spoon and other than that he had been talkative, even giving in their conversation. 

She bit her bottom lip thinking about his smile, his eyes… 

She had never seen a man with such compelling eyes. She thought they were beautiful eyes, and his smile...it really was infectious. She liked to think she had already figured out his fake smile from his genuine smile. 

She giggled to herself and started to sing while she finished showering, dancing a little as she sang. 

“She's come undun 

She didn't know what she was headed for 

And when I found what she was headed for 

It was too late…” 

* 

Harleen dressed casually in a dark red dress that hung to the top of her knees with long cuffed sleeves, a collar, and a set of four buttons down the front, three of which were buttoned. She put on an old pair of knee high brown boots that were still fashionable, and socks (no hose which would have caused her mother to have a fit). She blew her hair dry, feathered it, and put on her makeup. She slipped her glasses on and looked at herself in the mirror. She supposed it would do, especially since it was a cafeteria date. 

She stopped for a moment, staring at herself in the mirror and thinking about her primary patient, Joker, about what he said he would do if she was his girl, dinner, dancing, a walk under the stars. She blushed as his comment about worship came to her, causing a warmth to spread over her cheeks. She sighed and shook her head, muttering at her reflection. 

“Very unprofessional there Harls. Now stop that and go have a nice date, with a nice man.” 

She smiled at herself before she stood up and grabbed a sweater, her purse, and headed downstairs. 

* 

Joker frowned while he sat on his bed in his new room with several sheets of paper round him. He couldn’t get his new doctor out of his mind. He found himself thinking about her smile, the smooth length of her throat...but not with thoughts of his hands around her watching the life slowly leave her eyes. No, he kept thinking about licking her throat, about squeezing her breasts, or having his mouth between her legs. 

He wrinkled his nose. That little crack had been meant to make her uncomfortable, but it didn't work and all it had done was put thoughts in his own head. He hated her for it, but he couldn’t wait to see her again. Joker found that he had enjoyed talking to Dr. Quinzel too. He felt like he had a precious gift to hold and cherish when Harley had told him that story about the corpse and that man, Wayne Wilkins. He grinned, remembering the flash in her blue eyes, the little seed of darkness that showed she had taken delight in her revenge. 

He picked up a piece of paper and began to busy himself with folding. He smirked, remembering the look on the face of the orderly who had delivered the paper, terrified that Joker had been given a weapon, but he had no intention of hurting anyone. While it might be funny, this time seeing Harley again outweighed his need to kill. Besides, just making people worry that he might do something was a little funny too. 

He frowned as he worked. It was peculiar to feel that way, to want to see her so much, to think about touching her in ways he had never wanted to touch anyone. Dr. Quinzel had filled his thoughts constantly since his return to his room. He could smell her, that soft, light and lingering scent of vanilla and sugar about her. He wondered if her skin was as soft as her hands. Would she moan prettily if he touched her just so… 

Joker frowned again. He had never felt so consumed by someone other than Batman and he didn't feel like licking Batman; he just enjoyed spending time with his best buddy while trying to make him see how funny being a flying rodent for justice was… 

Joker bit down on his bottom lip in frustration. She was out there right now with some doctor...on a date…and he needed to see her, not some stupid stethoscope up-his-ass doctor who wouldn’t know how to treat her... 

The thought of someone else kissing her made him angry. Really angry. 

He wasn’t sure how to stop the date without getting himself in trouble, which would mean less time with the doc. Anything violent would have Strange or Arkham tossing him back in the cage, (Harley might be able to prevent it, but at this early point in their relationship he doubted it.) Yelling and having a fit would most likely be ignored or end up with someone trying to sedate him. He really hated those psycho drugs they tried to give him… 

He needed a way to keep Harley from her mystery doctor, but at the same time prevent himself from getting into too much trouble... 

Joker held up the small crane he had just folded. The tiny, delicate creature rested in the palm of his hand. He contemplated his strange, new wants and desires. He remembered the yakuza, or maybe it was someone else, he couldn’t be sure, but whoever it was who taught him origami, had told him if he folded a thousand cranes, his wish would come true. 

Joker lifted his brows in realization. He knew exactly what his wish was--he wanted Harley. 

He reached for another sheet of paper, but his finger brushed along the edge, the thin paper cutting into his skin. He hissed, snatching his finger back to see a bright line of blood running along his snow white skin. A drop of blood stained the white paper, a bright violation to the purity of the paper. 

Joker grinned slowly, stuck his finger in his mouth as an idea formed in his head. He glanced over to the tray where his dinner sat, untouched yet...A large bowl of red jello glittered in the pale light of his room. 

Joker smirked. 

* 

When she arrived downstairs, Harleen saw that it had rained again. The morning rain had given way to a light misting, but as soon as the sun had set, the rain came back again and she could feel the slight chill in the air. Of course it had decided to rain again when she was in one of her few nice dresses. Harleen groaned, pulling her sweater over her head, hurried out into the rain and headed for the main cafeteria. 

* 

The cafeteria was fairly busy since it was around dinner time. There were several staff members in here, including a few doctors. Harleen saw Dr. Meridia nursing a coffee and a half-eaten plate of salisbury steak, and Drs. Alice and Archie Knots speaking heatedly to each other, the remains of their dinner on their trays in front of them. She didn’t see Wyndham anywhere, so Harleen decided to get herself a cup of coffee and find a seat. 

She chose a free seat, removed her sweater, and sat down with her coffee. She pulled out a novel from her purse (she always carried a novel with her in case she got a chance to read.) She had been sitting for a few minutes reading her book, Somewhere in Time by Robert Matherson, a romantic story with time travel when a voice, dripping with contempt, muttered. 

“I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you’re reading trash.” 

Harleen looked over the top of her door to see Dr. Huntoon standing across from her, his hands in his jacket pockets. 

Harleen sighed. “What do you want?” 

“You know he is going to kill you right? He’s just playing with you, some new game for his own amusement.” Huntoon’s upper lip was curled into an expression Harleen thought must be disdain. 

Harleen put her bookmark in place and set her book down. “Jealous? I got through my first session with the Joker and he didn’t do anything but talk to me?” 

Huntoon put his nose in the air. “You were just lucky, young lady. Clearly he wasn’t in the mood to kill you.” 

Harleen narrowed her eyes remembering what Joker had said about one of the doctors being a killer. “Why do you care so much about what Joker does and doesn’t do with me?” she asked, narrowing her eyes slightly. 

Huntoon sneered. “Because you know nothing. You aren’t a doctor...you’re...just…” 

“Roger, you sound like a whining child who's afraid of not being the favorite child anymore. Maybe you should go talk to Crane, he loves to discuss what scares people.” Wyndham came into view, pulling out a seat next to Harleen. 

Huntoon frowned looking between the two of them. “What are you doing Wyndham?” 

Dr. Vane smiled. “What does it look like I’m doing?” 

Huntoon frowned. “You’re...are you…” 

“Date, it’s called a date Roger. Not that you know anything about those.” Wyndham smiled and Roger turned red. He opened his mouth and closed it a few times like a fish before he turned and stomped off. 

Harleen made a face. “What is wrong with that man?” 

Wyndham sighed. “He is one of those guys who has to be the best at everything and he hates to feel inferior, especially to a woman. That, and he is a blowhard. When he had his crack at Joker he didn’t get through ten minutes before the clown attacked him, the shortest time anyone has been with Joker before he attacked. You now hold the record of being in a room the longest with that psychotic without being attacked,” Vane said with a smile. 

“Really?” Harleen grinned. “I thought I might have made some progress with him.” 

Wyndham nodded. “I guess so, just...promise to be careful. He is sly, reminds me of a cat that will let you pet it only to turn and rip your hand off.” 

Harleen laughed shaking her head. “I’ll be fine.” 

Wyndham smiled again then turned to look at the cafeteria line. “So, let’s see what the specials are tonight. Oh, salisbury steak, baked fish of unknown type, and pulled pork sandwich. For dessert, it looks like we have cornbread and chocolate pudding.” 

Harleen pursed her lips, contemplating the menu. “Mm...How about the salisbury steak, I hate fish and pulled pork is messy. Pudding for dessert though.” 

Wyndham nodded. “A wise choice. I’ll be right back.” 

He returned a few minutes later with a tray holding their food. He set Harleen’s plate in front of her and put on a thick, very fake French accent. “Ma’am, your dinner is served.” 

Harleen giggled. “Thank you.” 

Wyndham sat down next to her unwrapping his untensils from their napkin. “So, how was your first full day?” 

Harleen smiled at her plate, thinking about Joker and what he had said about dessert. She reached for her pudding cup first. “It was good actually. I feel like I had a really productive day.” 

Wyndham looked over and laughed. “Hey, weren’t you taught to save your dessert for last?” 

Harleen opened her pudding dipping her spoon in. “Someone told me that if you wait for the good stuff, someone might take it from you.” 

Wyndham frowned. “That’s a little depressing.” 

“But true,” Harleen stated taking a bite of her pudding and adding as she swallowed. “How many times do we miss out on things, telling ourselves that we’ll do them later, after we do all the things we have to do only to have the opportunity stolen from us? How many trips do people put off because of one thing or another, how many people never buy that car or take a chance on that guy?” She took another bite of her pudding with a smile. “Why not grab the dessert right away, as soon as you can? Enjoy it before it's gone.” 

Wyndham frowned looking at her. He opened his mouth to reply when the doors to the cafeteria burst open and a young man...another doctor Harleen had seen his face, but didn’t remember his name, looked around, then rushed over to Harleen and Wyndham. 

“Are you Dr. Quinzel? I was told I could find you here?” The young doctor asked. 

Harleen nodded, setting down her pudding cup and spoon. “I am; is something wrong?” 

He nodded. “It’s Joker. I don’t know what happened, but he started coughing up blood. We moved him to the infirmary, but he keeps calling for you doctor. He seems to be in a lot of pain and won’t let anyone touch him.” 

Harleen stood up so quickly that she knocked her seat over. “What?” 

The young doctor reached out for her arm. “He won’t let anyone treat him and says only you can help him. The other doctors are afraid of him. We have him strapped down now, but…” He looked panicked and helpless. 

Harleen nodded. “I’m coming.” She grabbed her purse and sweater. Wyndham stood up. “I’ll go with you…” 

Harleen shook her head. “No, it might agitate him more. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” She turned to the other doctor. “Lead the way.” 

Wyndham flopped down down in his seat, watching her go with a frown. 

* 

Harleen was escorted to the medical wing where everything was a dull white and grey, with grey blue painted walls, greyish white floors, and grey curtains, along with a dull, sickly lighting. Harleen wrinkled her nose as the smell of antiseptic, ammonia and sickness filled the chilled air. The sounds of drips, buzzes, and beeps were like a steady count down to death, ticking away the remaining time of the sick. She tugged her damp sweater around her as she followed the doctor down the hall. 

The young doctor, whose name was Dr. Kevin Nelson, led her down a small hallway with several small, dull rooms with curtains instead of doors that gave the patients minimal privacy. Harleen saw equipment scattered everywhere, some of it so old Harleen wondered if it worked at all. 

Nelson led her into a room at the far end of the hall where two armed guards stood outside and the curtain was pulled back to reveal Joker in a hospital bed dressed only in a pair of his uniform pants, an IV in his arm, with no blanket. He was strapped down, his wrists wrapped to the metal bars that were there for patient safety, his ankles were also strapped down. Someone had put an IV in, dripping a clear liquid into his veins. Blood stained Joker’s lips, chin, and ran down along his chest, red so bright it looked like neon against his pale skin. 

The sight made Harleen weak in the knees. Her heart raced as she rushed over to him and grabbed his hand. 

Harleen glanced over at Nelson, who had not entered the room. “What do we know?” 

Nelson shrugged. “Not much. He started to cough violently. The guards…” He looked embarrassed. “...didn’t respond right way, but the sound became worse and when one of them checked on them, they found him coughing up blood and called for a nurse. He was transported here where he continued to cough up blood and started to ask for you. He was very insistent, and since you’re his doctor they sent me to fetch you...and that’s about it. We haven’t taken any blood yet, we were waiting for you to arrive to keep the patient calm...hopefully.” 

Harleen nodded as she reached up and brushed his softly curling hair back from his forehead while she held his hand. “Joker, I’m here. It’s Dr. Quinzel. Can you hear me?” She ran her fingers through his hair like a lover, soft gentle caresses. His hair was just as thick and soft as she thought it would be. 

Nelson still looked nervous and took a step backwards out of the room. “Ah, I’ll ah, be back to take his blood…” he said before he turned and disappeared through the curtain. 

The moment Nelson left the room, Joker’s eyes fluttered open and he spoke, his voice weak. “Doc, that you?” 

Harleen nodded. “Yes. Can you tell me what happened?” 

“Can you come closer doc?” Joker asked. His voice was pitiful, scratchy, and barely above a whisper. 

Harleen leaned closer. “Please tell me what happened.” 

Joker grinned wide at her, his teeth stained red. “The jello was awful.” He started to laugh. 

Harleen blinked in confusion, watching him laugh. “What…did you…?” 

Harleen narrowed her eyes at him (though Joker noted she hadn’t released his hand and the fingers of her other hand were still in his hair, which he liked very much. Almost a shame to stop the joke, he could have laid there for hours while she stroked his hair.) 

He smiled brightly at her as he whispered. “You’re pretty when you’re concerned, but even prettier when your mad--but you're prettiest when you smile.” He giggled. 

Harleen groaned, snatching her hands away finally, only to cross her arms over her chest in annoyance. “What are you doing?” 

Joker pouted. “I wanted to talk to you again.” 

“Why?” Harleen sighed and removed her damp sweater. Joker watched her, smiling at the way the dress clung to her figure. The fabric was thin and where the rain had hit her dress it stuck to her. She must have felt a little chilled; he could see the hint of hard nipples under her top, the fabric clung to her nipples which stirred things, hot things, in his gut. 

“What did you need to talk to me about...” Harleen ran her fingers through her wet hair before pulling off her glasses to clean with the hem of her dress. Joker watched each movement she made with interest. “...that couldn’t wait until morning? I was on that date I told you about,” she whispered glancing toward the curtains. 

Joker pouted. “You said you were available to me anytime.” 

Harleen smiled. “I did, but you really shouldn’t fake being sick.” 

Joker stuck his bottom lip out. “I know, I’m a bad boy, but I didn’t think the guards would believe me if I just told them I needed to talk to you.” His frown quickly turned into a smile. “I made you something,” he said softly. “They didn’t search me, so it's in my pants.” He gave her a wicked grin. 

Harleen gave him a stern look. “I'm not sticking my hand down your pants.” 

Joker giggled. “It's in the pocket. Geez Harley, you’re such a perv.” 

Harleen blushed, looking at his hips, the pants had been pulled a little low. “You know this is going to get us both in trouble.” 

Joker smiled happily. “But you’re my doc, you’ll fix it right?” 

Harleen nodded. “Yes, of course, just no more faking being sick. If you need to see me, just ask. I’ll make sure the guards know our arrangement.” 

Joker wiggled happily. “Okay. Now, check my pocket.” 

Harleen frowned. “Which one?” 

“The right one,” Joker said quietly. 

Harleen continued to frown, but she carefully put her hand in his pocket, feeling the edge of a piece of paper. She pulled the paper out. It was a little crumpled, but it looked like a carefully folded daffodil. It was beautiful. 

She gasped when she saw it holding it in the palm of her hand. “Joker, this is beautiful.” She looked up at him. “You made this?” 

Joker nodded. “The daffodil is the symbol of new beginnings.” He smiled, gazing into her eyes. “It’s my gift to you. A new beginning.” 

Harleen felt her cheeks heat up, holding the flower up and gazing at it with admiration. 

Joker watched her with a soft slow smile. 

Harleen’s eyes moved from the flower back to him, their eyes locked, both of them feeling a shift in the air.


	6. Rapport and Spite

The harsh sound of her morning alarm woke Harleen up from a deep sleep. She rolled over and slammed her hand down on the clock, shutting it off before she opened her eyes. Her gaze fell on the paper flower that now sat on her bedside table. 

Harleen smiled and reached out to brush the flower’s paper petals. She had received gifts before, which was nothing unusual, but for some reason this flower felt special to her. 

Joker had clearly been pleased with himself, but when their eyes locked in the infirmary she was sure there had been something more there, though she had no idea what that something might be… 

She shook her head pushing herself up. Well, at least she and her patient seemed to be connecting, which was exactly what she wanted. If she could connect to Joker as a person, treat him as a person, then that would be the first step on his road to recovery. The one thing that people--especially psychiatric patients--needed the most was to be treated like a human being and not as a reject. 

Harleen stood and stretched, taking a few minutes to turn on the radio and find a song to start her day out. She felt good this morning, felt as if she was making progress, making a difference, and it felt great. 

After a few seconds of flipping the dial on the radio she grinned as KC and the Sunshine Band began playing. Harleen danced a few steps, weaving her hips back and forth and singing as she made her way to the shower. “That’s the way I like it, ahuh ahuh…” 

She giggled and sang through the entire song, never once losing her smile. 

* 

When she arrived down in the cafeteria of her building, she hurried to grab some coffee and a large blueberry muffin. She had taken longer getting ready this morning than she meant to. She had decided at the last minute to wear a polyester shirt dress she had bought just before coming to work at Arkham. The dress had a smart polo collar with buttons that ran down the front to her waist. The dress had long sleeves with button cuffs, a thin little belt for around the middle that highlighted her waist and the skirt of the dress fell to just above her knees. She had purchased the dress in a solid dark red instead of with a pattern like most of the dress had. She always thought red was her best color with her blonde hair. 

She had on a pair of black nylons (again, not the most popular choice. Her mother would have a hissy fit seeing her in black nylons instead of nude nylons.) She had opted to wear a garter belt, a little old fashioned, but she liked them better than pantyhose, and lastly she paired the outfit with simple brown, heeled oxfords. She had curled her hair, feathering it around her face and took more time highlighting her eyes. She slipped her doctor’s coat over her dress, frowning at herself as she pushed her glasses up. Maybe she was a little overdressed. Maybe… 

Harleen had frowned and shoved her glasses up. No, she looked fine. She was a woman, she could wear what she wanted, and if she wanted to look nicer than usual, then that was her prerogative. 

Harleen grabbed her coffee to go, shoving her muffin into the pocket of her coat and was heading for the door when she saw Wyndham coming down the walk toward her building. He was dressed in a brown turtleneck and could see the checked blazer under his doctor’s coat as he walked quickly toward the building. 

She smiled, taking a quick sip of her coffee and hurried outside only to be surprised by how chilly the weather had become since last night. She shivered, her breath coming out in white puffs. They might be getting an early snow this year. 

“Harleen!” Wyndham waved at her. “I was just coming to find you.” 

Harleen smiled taking a sip of her coffee. “Everything all right? I’m running a little late.” 

Wyndham frowned and fell into step beside her. “Just wanted to warn you about Roger. I’m not sure how he found out about Joker last night. I guess it got around that the clown was faking being sick?” Wyndham gave her a side look asking for confirmation and Harleen nodded. “Yes, he pretended to be sick because he wanted to give me a present.” 

Wyndham frowned and tilted his head, his expression showing his concern. “A present?” 

Harleen nodded sipping her coffee, hoping the warmth of the liquid would keep her warm until she got into the next building, the muffin in her pocket forgotten. “I allowed him some paper as a reward for his good behavior. Apparently Joker can do origami.” 

Wyndham looked surprised. “I didn’t think that clown had any artistic inclinations except murder. Every time he’s in here, he…” He made a motion with his hand followed by a sigh. “Anyway, Roger is having a fit. Joker had already been moved back to his room without issue, but I guess one of the nurses might have mentioned it to Roger. Anyway, he went to see Dr. Arkham first, but Jeremiah is out sick this morning--which is good for you, Arkham is a push over, especially for Huntoon, but anyway he had to go see Strange about you and about Joker. Not sure what he is trying to do exactly, but I wanted to warn you. Roger is in Strange’s office right now, so you might wanna head there first to put out any fires.” 

Harleen made a face. “What on earth for? So Joker played a little trick to get me to come to see him. He did it so he could give me a paper flower. That’s not that unusual, especially if a patient feels a bond forming with their doctor. We are their lifelines to normalcy.” 

She took a large chug of her coffee and muttered. “The worst part was that Joker ended up in the infirmary overnight. Big deal? Did he escape? Did anyone die? Or suffer harm? No. And from what you just said, he’s back in his room without incident,” Harleen exclaimed a little louder than she intended with a frown on her pretty face, her brow furrowed. She glanced sideways at Wyndham to gauge his perception on the issue, at the same time pulling her doctor’s coat closed over her chest. The wind coming off the water really was downright cold! She was going to have to dig out her winter coat just to get from building to building, maybe her winter hat too. She was regretting her decision to wear a dress. Wyndham shrugged shoving his hands into the pockets of his doctor’s coat. “No one was hurt, true, but Roger will try to make this into an incident, probably say that you were not being careful with someone as deadly as the Joker.” 

Harleen shot Wyndham a narrowed eye look, but he only shrugged. “I’m not saying it,” he assured her. “Just saying Roger will.” He sucked on his bottom lip for for a moment before he continued. “Roger has a stick up his ass about you--about women doctors in general really. He doesn’t think any woman is as smart as him…That and you were given the Joker’s case. He really hates that because the Joker is such a high profile patient. And, of course, Roger is terrified of the clown…” Wyndham muttered under his breath. “...we all are, truth be told...But if you get the clown to work with you, that is definitely a feather in your cap, makes you a better doctor than him...it’ll anger him if you can handle the Joker where a man couldn’t…” Wyndham held the door open for 

Harleen when they arrived at the building. She gratefully slipped inside as Wyndham continued. 

“Roger has a degree, but that man…” Wyndham shook his head. “He’s a doctor, but only because he has a piece of paper that says so.” 

Harleen snorted heading toward the elevator but Wyndham stopped at the doors holding them open. “Hey, ah, wanna have lunch?” 

Harleen smiled at the other doctor. “Sure.” 

Wyndham grinned. “Great! I’ll meet you in the caferatria around 12:30?” 

Harleen nodded in agreement. “Sounds good.” 

Wyndham stepped away from the elevator, letting the doors closed. “Good luck.” 

“Thank you,” Harleen said as the doors closed. 

* 

Strange, like Dr. Arkham, had a very nice office, complete with his own secretary. Harleen supposed that wasn’t really unusual since Strange was basically the second in command at Arkham Asylum. 

Harleen walked into the office where Tracey Buxton sat behind her desk. Tracey was the type of woman that ticked all the boxes for a stereotypical blonde bombshell look. She had white blonde hair (clearly bleached) cut in a blunt bob. She had large green eyes and a very big chest that she emphasized with the very tight, green sweater that had the deepest “V” Harleen had ever seen, showing off all of Tracey’s cleavage. 

Harleen smiled at Tracey. “Hi Tracey, Dr. Strange is in, correct?” 

Tracey nodded. “Yeah,” she confirmed and made a face. “That pig Dr. Huntoon is in there with him now. He’s here about you,” she added as a warning. 

Harleen frowned and resisted rolling her eyes. “Yeah I know…” 

Tracey grinned. “Just go on in girl, don’t let that man disrespect you.” 

Harleen grinned walking by Tracey. “Thanks.” 

“Hey anytime, us working girls gotta stick together.” Tracey smiled. 

As soon as Harleen was near the door to Strange’s office, she could hear Roger Huntoon’s voice raised in a whine. She couldn’t quite discern what he was saying, but she could tell by the tone of his voice that the man was complaining, long and loud. Harleen took a deep breath. She could do this. She had to do this, not just for her patient, but for herself. She grabbed hold of the doorknob and without a second thought, she opened the door and walked in. 

Dr. Huntoon was pacing in front of Dr. Strange’s desk. Harleen didn’t know a lot about men’s clothing, but she was pretty sure the suit that Huntoon was wearing under his doctor’s coat was expensive; it just had that tailored look. Huntoon was in the throws of his complaint when she opened the door and the man stopped in mid-stride, turning to look over at the door, his features going from annoyed to dark anger in an instant. 

“YOU! What are you doing in here?!” Huntoon spun on her with enough viciousness in his voice and face that Harleen had to consciously stop herself from taking a step backwards. 

But Dr. Strange, who sat behind his desk, dressed in a simple burnt orange dress shirt and striped tie, his hands folded over his stomach, his glasses at the end of his nose, smiled and stood when he saw her. “Dr. Quinzel, I’m glad you’re here. Dr. Huntoon has been slinging some very disturbing allegations around about you and your work with the Joker.” 

Harleen narrowed her eyes at Huntoon as she walked past the fuming psychiatrist to stand in front of Dr. Strange’s desk. 

She glanced back at Huntoon, whose face had settled into a blotchy red. “Well, I heard that Dr. Huntoon had some issues with an incident that occurred last night.” 

Dr. Strange nodded, gesturing to the chair that sat at the corner of his desk. “Yes, I had heard something about that. Can you tell me what happened…” 

Huntoon hissed, his voice steadily rising. “I just told you what happened! This...this...woman...” Huntoon pointed at Harleen. “Let that mass mur…” 

Strange narrowed his eyes at Huntoon. He didn’t raise his voice, but his evenly spoken words cut off the man in mid-sentence. “I would like to hear what Dr. Quinzel has to say.” 

Huntoon’s mouth audibly snapped shut as Dr. Strange turned is attention of Harleen. “So, the Joker?” 

Harleen smiled at Dr. Strange. “He simply pretended to be ill in order to have me brought over to him. Joker faked coughing up blood, which was instead red jello, in order to give me a paper flower. Yesterday I gave him the first “treat” for his good behavior, some plain paper. It seems he knows how to do origami.” Harleen was gratified to see the raised eyebrow from Dr. Strange at this new bit of information. “I did explain to him that sort of behavior would lose him privileges, but I was willing to overlook his behavior this time since I felt the punishment of having to stay in the infirmary was enough. I would like to point out that no one was hurt and Joker behaved himself on all other accounts.” 

Huntoon spoke up, his voice dripping with contempt. “This time maybe, but what about next time? How many privileges are you going to give this...this...clown before your incompetence gets someone killed?” 

Harleen turned in her chair to glare at Huntoon. “I am trying to establish a relationship with my patient, and in order to do that I have to treat him as I would any other patient, any other human being for that matter--with respect. I am fully aware of the Joker's past violence, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t worthy of being treated. Quite the opposite, in fact, The man is clearly suffering and it is my job as his doctor to treat him. Last night should be looked at as a victory, not a mistake. Joker wanted to give me something, wanted to show me that he appreciated what I have done for him so far. He could have been violent, and if his past here in Arkham alone is anything to go by, he could have easily killed someone, but he didn’t! No violence at all. He behaved himself, and that right there shows that I’m already making progress!” Harleen took a breath, but she wasn’t finished. “This is a delicate matter and it will take time, but I will not be able to do my job if I’m not allowed to actually do it. Dr. Strange and Dr. Arkham gave me the authority to do whatever I felt was needed in regards to working with Joker. You coming in here and trying to undermine me isn’t just a reflection of disrespect for me, but also a reflection of your disrespect for Dr. Strange and Dr. Arkham.” 

Dr. Strange looked at Huntoon with an expression that was very close to a smirk. “Well, Dr. Huntoon. What do you have to say to that?” 

Dr. Huntoon looked ready to blow his top Harleen thought, though she kept her expression under control. Smirking or smiling would not do her any favors, not that she thought it would matter to Dr. Huntoon. He was clearly out to get her and she was sure that while she may have won this encounter, this incident was only the first of many battles to come. 

Dr. Huntoon glared at Harleen. “This isn't over.” 

He then turned and stomped out of the office. 

Harleen sighed, sagging in her seat. 

Dr. Strange smiled at her. “You handled that very well Dr. Quinzel.” 

Harleen smiled a little. “Thank you Dr. Strange.” 

Strange laid his hands on his desk. “Well, I won’t keep you, my dear. I know you have other patients to see as well as Joker. I also wanted to remind you that you would be on night shift tomorrow night, one of our night shift staff is sick and since you are the new hire…” He looked over the top of his glasses at her. 

Harleen nodded. “I understand sir.” Though in her mind she was groaning loudly. Nightshift, yeah. 

Strange nodded. “Well, just...just be careful my dear. Joker is a cunning, vastly intelligent man. Do not doubt: if he sees a way to use you to his benefit, he will do it.” 

Harleen stood and nodded. “I understand sir and I promise, I’ll be careful.” 

Strange smiled at her. “Good. And don’t worry about Roger.” 

“Thank you sir, I won’t.” Harleen smiled with a nod and exited Strange’s office. 

Tracey grinned when Harleen came out. “Damn Dr. Quinzel, that was cool. I heard everything.” 

Harleen sagged a little, but she gave Tracey a grateful smile. “Thanks.” 

Tracey pumped her fist in the air. “Free Our Sisters!” 

Harleen laughed and did the same. “Free Ourselves!” 

Harleen gave Tracey a wave and headed out. 

* 

Harleen made her way down to Joker’s room. She wasn’t going to be having her appointment with him until after lunch, but she wanted to see how he was doing after last night. And, she was worried about Dr. Huntoon doing something to her patient. She knew it was foolish, as the man was terrified of the Joker, but she couldn’t shake the feeling the Arkham veteran doctor might do take some action against her patient. Stopping by to check on Joker this morning would put her mind at ease and besides, she wanted to make sure he was all right. That was all it was, she assured herself; worry for the welfare of her patient. 

Just before she arrived at his room she could hear the sounds of Joker singing at the top of his lungs. His voice echoed down the hall mixed with the sound of a couple of other patients yelling. 

“SHUT UP!” 

Harleen chuckled, but Joker had an excellent singing voice. She might dare to classify it as sexy. 

“Well, I keep on thinkin 'bout you, sister golden hair surprise 

And I just can't live without you, can't you see it in my eyes? 

I been one poor correspondent, and I been too, too hard to find 

But it doesn't mean you ain't been on my mind…” 

Harleen arrived at his room and looked through the little window to see Joker was dancing around his room, wearing only his pants (which hung dangerously low on his thin hips), and he was barefoot. He was moving his arms around as graceful as any dancer, followed by equally elegant foot work. The man made a circuit of his tiny room, dancing to the music only he could hear that accompanied the song he was singing. 

Harleen glanced around. Littered throughout his room were paper creations; flowers, cranes, butterflies, swans, taking up space on the floor, arranged in a neat circle...it was actually very beautiful to see all the delicate paper creations turned toward him as if they were the Joker's silent audience. He spun around, his arms moving in graceful motions in the air, his eyes closed. Harleen’s eyes moved over his slender body, lingering on his stomach and hips before tracing her way back up to his face. She smiled. His hair was a mess of soft green curls that flopped around his head. He spun on one foot, his arms out like a ballerina and he continued to sing. 

“Will you meet me in the middle, will you meet me in the air? 

Will you love me just a little, just enough to show you care? 

Well I tried to fake it, I don't mind sayin', I just can't make it 

Well, I keep on thinkin' 'bout you, sister golden hair surprise 

And I just can't live without you, can't you see it in my eyes? 

Now I been one poor correspondent, and I been too, too hard to find 

But it doesn't mean you ain't been on my mind.” 

When he turned once more to face the door, Joker’s eyes popped open startling Harleen. The clown’s eyes were bright, sparkling even, and so intensely focused that she could feel his gaze cut right through her. The sensation gave her goosebumps. 

Joker smiled slowly, the pale lipped grin easing across his pale face until all his teeth showed. The smile reached his eyes, causing that sparkle to turn brighter. Or maybe it was just the light Harleen thought. 

“Harley!” He laughed and hurried over to the door, laying his hands against it so he could press his face close to the tiny barred window. Harleen almost took a step back, but something prevented her. It wasn’t that she wanted to show him she wasn’t scared of him...she wasn’t sure what it was, but she didn’t want to move back, and she realized she wasn’t at all scared of her patient. She would have to analyze that later. 

Joker grinned and laughed. “How are you this morning my sweets? You look pretty--ever thought about losing the glasses? They hide your pretty eyes.” 

Harleen smiled at him, feeling an odd flutter in her chest. “I’m fine this morning, thank you Joker. I just wanted to check on you.” 

Joker laughed. “Oh, I’m as right as rain. Slept like a baby. I do like being strapped down, after all.” He waggled his green eyebrows at her. “So, we still on for today?” 

Harleen nodded. “Yes, you are my only patient after lunch today, so we’ll have as much time as you want to speak this afternoon.” 

Joker purred leaning close again. “Really? Hmm...looking forward to it. You still have the flower I gave you?” 

Harleen tried not to, but she felt a blush creep across her cheeks. “I do. Thank you.” 

Joker smiled, tilting his head and gazing at her intently. “I’ll make something else for you soon, just have to think of the perfect one...do you think I could get some crayons soon?” 

Harleen nodded. “I think so--let’s see how today goes. If it goes well, I will bring you some crayons tomorrow.” 

Joker laughed and hopped back, clapping his hands. “Perfect! I can’t wait!” 

Harleen smiled with pleasure. “Well, you have a good morning. I’ll see that you are brought some more paper and I’ll see you after lunch.” 

Joker licked his lips. “Eating lunch with anyone today?” 

Harleen answered before she thought better of it. “Ah yes, Dr. Vane.” 

She didn’t catch the coldness that briefly appeared in Joker’s gaze, the way his frown drooped slightly at the edges. It was there and gone in a heartbeat. “I’m looking forward to our time together Dr. Quinzel…” He purred on her name, sending shivers down her spine. 

Harleen smiled. “I’ll see you this afternoon Joker.” 

He grinned and began dancing slowly around the room. “See you then doc!” 

Harleen turned and started to walk away. Joker rushed over to the door and pressed his face against the small window, his hands pressed to the door, barely able to catch a glimpse of her as she walked away down the hall. He grinned. She was wearing a dress, her legs bare, her hips moving from side to side… 

Joker closed his eyes smiling, imagining her on the edge of her desk, her dress shoved up to her hips with him between her legs dragging his tongue along her sex… 

Joker grinned wondering what she would taste like, wondering how she would feel against his tongue, sucking on her, licking her, her breasts in his hands while she made delicious little moaning sounds… 

He shivered and felt his groin ache. The sensations she stirred in him were all so new and exciting. He ran his tongue along his teeth before he whispered the song lyrics. 

“Don't you love her madly? 

Wanna be her daddy? 

Don't ya love her face? 

Don’t you love her madly…” 

He giggled and stepped back to resume his dancing and singing until another couple of patients began yelling at him to shut up. 

* 

When lunch finally came around after a busy morning of rounds, meeting with a few other patients and doing what felt like endless amounts of paperwork, Harleen felt starved. She only remembered the muffin in her coat pocket when her stomach started to growl at her about skipping breakfast. 

Harleen was hurrying down the hall to catch the elevator just as the door began to close. “Oh hey!! Stop!!” she yelled and waved, though whoever was on the elevator wouldn’t have been able to see her.. 

A large hand popped out and stopped the doors from closing allowing Harleen to slip into the elevator. 

“Thanks.” She smiled breathlessly. 

Inside the elevator were two nurses, whose names were Joan Brown and Beth Fenton. Harleen had met them briefly yesterday, and an orderly who Harleen thought named Hank. She had a hard time keeping the guards’ and orderlies’ names straight because all of them looked to have been cut from the same mold; tall, broad shoulders, military-like haircuts, small beady eyes, and muscles, every part of them muscles. It had been Hank who had grabbed the elevator for her. 

Hank smiled. “No problem Dr. Quinzel. You going to the cafeteria for lunch?” 

Harleen nodded. “Yes, thank you.” 

Hank hit the button and gave her a smile that creeped her out a little bit. Harleen swallowed and turned her attention to the doors. 

The two nurses started to whisper. At first Harleen didn’t hear what they were saying, as her internal focus was on Joker. For some reason she couldn’t get his smile and eyes out of her head, but something the nurses said broke through her contemplation. 

“Yeah, I heard they searched all the buildings, but Drew is gone. There is no sign she left the island, all her stuff is still in her room. It's like she vanished.” The one speaking was Joan. 

The other nurse, Beth, hissed. “You think she’s dead?” 

Joan was quiet for a second before she spoke. “I think so.” 

Beth gasped. “Why?” 

“Because it’s been a month since the last one…there’s been at least one victim every month for the last six...” Joan whispered. 

Hank rumbled. “That doesn’t mean anything…” 

“Seriously? Drew wasn't just one of us--she was a doctor,” Joan growled at Hank. “Besides, there’s been at least one murder a month here…” 

Hank shook his big head. “No, there’s been at least one person missing a month, that’s different than a murder. There’s only been three bodies found.” 

Joan snorted. “Just because they haven’t found six bodies doesn’t mean the others aren’t dead.” 

Beth made a face. “Yeah, but people quit here all the time without giving notice...the others could simply have left.” 

Joan snorted again. “And leave all their stuff?” 

Beth muttered. “Maybe…” 

Joan huffed. “I say they were murdered and their bodies are somewhere on the island. I’d bet money on it.” 

Hank chuckled. “If you’re serious, I’ll take some of that action.” 

Joan laughed. “You wanna bet real money?” 

Hank nodded. “Sure, why not? The pot could get really big if we get the rest of the staff in on it.” 

Beth sighed. “You’re both sick, you know that? Besides Joan, if you seriously thought Drew was murdered, why are you still here?” 

Joan sighed. “‘Cause I can’t get a better paying job in Gotham, that’s why.” Joan turned her attention to Hank. “If you’re serious about the bet, I’m in Hank.” 

Hank grinned. “Yeah, why not?” 

Beth muttered. “Fine, I’m in too…” 

Harleen’s brow creased in thought. One of the staff was missing? And it had happened before? No one had mentioned that to her. 

The elevator dinged its arrival at her floor. Harleen got off and hurried toward the cafeteria, the thought of a murder drifting away. 

* 

Wyndham was waiting for her at a table near the windows. When he saw her, he gave her a quick wave as Harleen got in line to get herself something to eat. 

When she arrived at the table a few moments later, her stomach was growling loudly. She took her seat with a smile. “Hey.” 

Wyndham grinned back at her. “Hey, how’s your day going?” 

Harleen sighed. “All right. Just a lot of busy work.” 

“Everything with Roger go all right?” Wyndham asked, opening up his carton of milk. 

Harleen nodded. “Yeah…” She sighed. “Strange supported me.” 

Wyndham smiled with a nod. “That’s good.” 

They ate and talked about their day and their patients, their conversation flowing naturally and friendly. When it was time to go, Harleen stood up, Wyndham standing up at the same time. “So, ah, would you like to have lunch with me again tomorrow?” 

“I can’t tomorrow--night shift,” Harleen explained with a frown and puffed out her lips for a moment. 

Wyndham frowned too. “Really?” 

She nodded. “Yes, Strange told me this morning after the thing with Dr. Huntoon. I guess someone called in sick…” Harleen’s voice trailed off, remembering the conversation in the elevator...the nurse had said that this Drew person was a doctor… 

“Harleen?” Wyndham moved his hand in front of her face. “Hey, you okay?” 

Harleen snapped back. “Oh uh, sorry. Yeah I’m fine.” Wyndham smiled. “I said maybe I could bring you dinner tomorrow…” 

“Oh, you don’t have to do that…” Harleen blushed, but Wyndham smiled back at her. “I would be delighted to, it’s no trouble, really.” 

“Well, if you do, I would appreciate it, but don’t worry about it all right?” Harleen smiled and Wyndham reached out and brushed his knuckles along her cheek down to her chin. “Hey, you don’t worry about it. It's my pleasure.” He smiled, glancing at his wrist watch. “I better get going. See you later.” Wyndham smiled and turned to leave, waving at her over his shoulder. 

Harleen stood still and watched him go. She reached up to touch her cheek where he had touched her… 

She didn’t feel anything, didn’t feel a shiver of excitement, or a thrill. There was no heat, no attraction...nothing. 

She frowned. 

* 

Harleen was sitting behind her desk when she heard the unmistakable sound of Joker singing loudly. She giggled at his choice of song, his rather voice--a sexy voice she thought with a lifted eyebrow--filling the halls. 

“'Cause I'm a picker, I'm a grinner 

I'm a lover, and I'm a sinner 

I play my music in the sun 

I'm a joker, I'm a smoker 

I'm a midnight toker 

I sure don't want to hurt no one!!!!” 

Joker wailed on the last note followed by a giggle. 

She heard Cash snarl behind the door. “Will you shut up!” 

Joker laughed in response. “Jealous you can’t sing Cash my darling? The girls ain’t flocking to you? Are you experiencing a dry spell or maybe you just can’t get the old pickle to stand at attention?” 

Cash’s voice held a growl in it. “Just shut up.” This was followed by a knock and Cash calling out. “Dr. Quinzel? We have Joker here!” 

“Enter,” she called out. 

Cash opened the door and Joker was shoved through the doorway. The clown stumbled into the room almost losing the slippers that were on his feet. He spun around gracefully despite his arms being tightly held in the straightjacket and grinned at Harleen. “Hey Harley. What’s the skinny doc?” 

Cash hissed, grabbing Joker by the shoulder. “Shut up and sit down.” 

Joker giggled and flopped down in the seat before Cash could shove him into the chair in front of Harleen’s desk. 

Joker stuck his bottom lip out in an exaggerated frown. “Geez Cash, who spit in your Cheerios this morning?” 

Cash pulled out the handcuffs, but Harleen held up a hand and stood up to come around from behind her desk. “Those won’t be necessary. If you’ll just leave me with my patient…” 

Cash frowned at her, his disapproval clear, but didn’t say a word since he had already been through this with her. Instead, he stepped into the doorway. His frown still in place, he asked. “You sure ma’am?” 

Harleen nodded. “Yes.” She glanced at Joker who smiled brightly at her, then back at Cash. “I’ll be fine. Thank you.” 

Cash let out a huff through his nose before he stepped back and gently closed the door, giving Joker the evil eye until the moment he shut the door. 

Joker giggled again, watching Cash leave. “You know Harls, I think a village is missing their idiot.” 

Harleen tried not to laugh, she really did, pressing her lips closed, but the laugh bubbled out anyway. Joker grinned at her, watching her as Harleen covered her mouth and tears sprang to her eyes as she continued to struggle to not laugh. Watching her struggle with laughter was oddly sexy he thought. Her eyes sparkled and her cheeks were rosy, and when she dropped her hand her smile was...mesmerizing. 

And then there was the sound of her laughter. 

Joker loved the sound of her laugh, like little chiming bells. He could listen to her laugh all the time. Joker promised himself that he would make sure to make her laugh as much as possible. 

Harleen wiped at her eyes as she stepped over to him. 

“Let’s get you out of that jacket,” she said smiled at him. “Then we can begin your session.” 

Joker stood up and turned his back to her, but not before getting a good look at her legs. He decided he liked her legs very much. Harleen carefully unfastened the buckles at his back. Joker could feel the brush of her fingers against the material of the straightjacket, the heat of her body when she stood so close, the sweet perfume of her hair, her skin. When he felt the brief brush of her fingers against his bare back, he felt goosebumps race across his flesh. He frowned at his thoughts. He sounded like a horrible romance novel, it was so odd, but he couldn’t seem to stop his thoughts from focusing on her. It made him mildly annoyed for a moment, but the feelings were so new... 

And he liked them, he decided. He liked how she made him feel, the thoughts she evoked in him. Joker liked them quite a bit. 

He remained still while she worked to free him, but when she went for the buckle between his legs, her fingers brushed his backside causing Joker to tense, pressing his lips together as heat rocketed through him, tightening his groin. These new feelings were fun. He had never felt attracted to anyone before, but Harley, it was like an explosion of tension and need! He felt a growl of pleasure deep in his chest. He wanted her to touch him, to feel her hands on his ass, wrapped around his erection. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. In his mind’s eyes he could see her naked. He had never wanted anything more, not even playing with Batman had stirred up a need like this new doctor was doing with just her presence. 

As Harleen loosened the buckles along his back, the jacket falling open, Harleen saw that he was once again shirtless underneath. She smiled. Clearly he didn’t like wearing the shirts the hospital provided; she would have to find out why, but when she saw his ghost white skin, she couldn’t stop herself from dragging her fingertips along his spine. She felt a thrill rushing through her, a shiver that ran down her spine and deep into her groin. Where Wyndham’s touch hadn’t felt like anything at all, touching Joker felt like she was dipping her fingers into a fire and loving the burn. 

She took a breath, schooling her features and walked back around to slide the jacket off his arms, folding it over her arm and taking the jacket with her when she resumed her seat behind her desk. Joker dropped back down into his seat with a broad grin at her. 

“What’s up doc?” Joker giggled as he lounged in the chair, his legs spread, and his hands resting on his thighs, as if he had not a care in the world. 

“Well Joker, I thought I would ask you what you would like to talk about today.” Harleen laid the straightjacket on the desk. “If there is something you would like to discuss with me?” 

Harleen pushed her glasses up, causing Joker to frown slightly. “Can you take the glasses off....just for a minute?” he asked in a tone that sounded oddly serious for her patient. 

Harleen lifted her brows in curiosity. “Why?” 

He shrugged. “Just curious what you look like without them. It’s like you’re wearing a mask…” 

Harleen dragged her teeth along the side of her lip before she reached up and removed the glasses. 

Joker sat up straight, examining her face. “You, my sweet, are one of those rare beauties who looks beautiful with or without your glasses.” 

Harleen blushed, slipping her glasses back on. “Thank you...ah, but we should be talking about you.” 

Joker grinned. “I, my dear, am an open book.” He held his hands out, palms up. “Ask me anything!” 

Harleen stood up, at the same time pulling out a tape recorder from the bottom drawer of her desk. “Why don’t you get more comfortable.” She pointed at the couch she had brought in when she first took over the office. “You could lie down and I’ll sit next to you. The next provides a barrier, this way we can create a sort of bubble in which you can talk to me, an intimacy that…” 

“Oh, I love that word: intimacy!” Joker hopped up and threw himself dramatically onto the couch and crossed his legs at the ankles. 

Harleen chuckled softly coming over, picking up the chair he had just been in, and moved it over beside the couch to sit down. She sat the recorder on the floor and pressed down the play and record buttons before pulling out a notepad and pen from her doctor’s coat. Joker sucked his lips in watching her cross her legs. Her nylons made him want to run his hands up her legs and tear them away, revealing her soft peachy skin. He wanted to run his hands up under her dress, pull her panties down those same lovely, shapely legs… 

He looked away and focused on the ceiling, crossing his hands over his chest like he was in a coffin. His groin ached. He took a breath through his nose and let it out slowly, calming himself. “So, how are you feeling today?” Harleen asked, her pen poised over her notebook. 

Joker grinned still looking up at the ceiling. “Good. I’m feeling good, as if the future suddenly looks bright.” 

Harleen nodded writing. “Did the future not look bright to you before?” 

Joker shook his head. “No...there was no future, only the now. No future, no past…just today.” 

Harleen nodded. “I saw in your records that you have no memory of your past? Does that bother you?” 

Joker turned to look at her, frowning slightly. “Bother me?” 

Harleen reached out to lay a hand on his arm. The gesture surprised Joker. Her hand was soft, warm. He liked the way her touch felt. He wanted to feel her touch him in other places, her hands on his chest, caressing his stomach, her nails dragging across his back. Joker shivered. These thoughts were really getting out of control, he thought. 

Harleen’s voice was gentle as she squeezed his arm softly. “You’re safe here Joker, with me. Anything you say, anything at all, will remain between us.” She gave him a sweet, sincere smile and he knew she really meant it. “I will never hurt you,” she said softly at the same time she stroked his arm. Harleen shivered as she caressed his arm. Touching his arm, such a simple gesture, made her nipples harden, aching, wondering what having him sucking on her breasts would be like… 

Harleen schooled herself. These thoughts were so unprofessional of her! 

Joker laid his hand over hers. She didn’t move, didn’t snatch her hand back. Harleen didn’t even shake! Instead they just stared at each other. 

He smiled and his hand over hers tightened slightly. “Thank you Harley.” He looked confused as he murmured. “No one has ever made me feel safe before…” 

Harleen squeezed his arm and slowly pulled her hand away. Joker wanted to grab hold of her soft, warm hand, but he let her pull away. 

“So, your past and future, not something you think about. You live only in the present?” Harleen asked, making a note on her paper at the same time trying to keep her breathing steady. 

Joker chuckled and looked back up at the ceiling. “Yup, live for today. You know doc, it’s really freeing when you don’t think about the past. The past is dangerous and worrying even. Nah, memories can turn from sweet and wonderful to horrible, dark, terrible things…” He glanced at Harleen. “And the future, why worry about the future? We are all gonna die--that’s the future--so live for now! Have fun! Nothing matters! Be mad! Be crazy! In the end, it doesn’t really make a difference.” 

“Nothing matters?” Harleen asked. “Not even friendship, love?” 

Joker smiled softly wrinkling his nose at her. “Never been in love sweets.” He shook his head and tsked at himself. “What about you?” 

Harleen frowned in thought. “No, no. I've never been in love either. Focused on my career.” 

Joker rolled onto his side and propped his head up on one hand. Harleen’s eyes widened for a moment because he looked incredibly sexy, his long lean body, bare chest, his green hair a mess of curls that begged for her fingers to run through them, to force his head back while she attacked his throat with her lips. 

Joker mused, his eyes dancing. “Really?! A pretty girl like you, never been in love?” 

Harleen blushed looking down at her lap before looking over at him again through her lashes. Joker swallowed. Her eyes were gorgeous he thought. 

“No, I mean there was a guy in college, but I figured out real quick he just wanted sex from me, nothing more. He didn’t love me, and there was another guy during my residency...same thing...” Harleen frowned. “I wanted something more than a fling…” 

Joker frowned, narrowing his eyes. “You deserve more than a simple fling Harley...you deserve a partner.” As he whispered that last, Joker reached out and brushed a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear, then, with the tips of his fingers he traced a line along her cheek and down to her chin. Harleen swallowed, staring back at him, her eyes locked by his gaze. Where the tips of his fingers touched her, her skin burned, burned deep through her, exciting her. Joker’s touch was so unlike Wyndham’s. When her colleague had touched her, she felt nothing, but Joker...Harleen’s heart was beating like a rabbit’s, her blood speeding through her veins with a strange rush of slight fear. Joker was a killer. Harleen knew that if he wanted, he could reach out and grab her right now, drive her to the floor and choke the life out of her. At the same time, his touch made her feel alive. She wanted to be the one to drive him down, to press him against the couch, her dress at her waist and driving him down into the cushion. The thought and visual that accompanied it were so vivid that Harley caught her breath, almost not hearing the softly asked question as Joker murmured, his fingertips lingering on her chin. “What were their names?” 

Harleen swallowed, She shrugged and frowned. “Guy Kopski and Jason Hale.” 

Joker narrowed his eyes slightly. “What about Dr. Vane? You seem to like him.” 

Harleen frowned. “I don’t know…we’ve had a couple of meals together...” She didn’t catch the look of hatred that passed through Joker’s blue eyes when she said she had eaten meals with Dr. Vane. 

Harleen shook her head and laughed a little nervously. “What about you? Any old flames?” 

Joker shrugged taking his hand away. Harleen felt the absence like a cold breeze on her skin. “Nah, Batman maybe, but that’s not really a love relationship. I don’t love Batman. I hate him, but at the same time he’s my main man, my best buddy, so...I guess it's sort of a love-hate relationship. I love to hate him.” Joker laughed. “Oo! Sounds like we’re married!” 

Harleen laughed and Joker grinned, his blue eyes sparkling with pleasure at the sound of her laughter and the smile on her face. 

* 

They ended up talking nearly all afternoon. The session, which Harleen had thought would last maybe an hour and a half, was nearly three hours with two interruptions from an anxious Cash. But it was the last interruption that had annoyed Harleen the most, because it was Dr. Vane who had opened the door to her office without knocking. 

Vane opened the door. “Dr. Quinzel, is everything all…” He stopped mid-sentence going very still when he saw Joker sitting on the couch, cross legged, his slippers on the floor, and his arms free. 

Joker waved. “Hiya Dr. Vane!” 

Harleen, who had been sitting in a chair beside the couch, sat up straight, anger clear on her face. “Dr. Vane, I’m with a patient!” 

Wyndham swallowed. “He isn’t restrained?” 

“No he isn’t. How observant of you. Now leave!” She pointed at the door. 

“I just...Cash said…” Vane started, but Harleen tossed her notepad down angrily, stomping over to him. “I was told I had full freedom to conduct my sessions with Joker how I see fit. That includes how long the sessions are. He is my patient and I determine how long he needs. None of my other duties are being neglected, so…” 

Vane shook his head. “No, no, of course not. It was just…” 

Harleen narrowed her eyes. “From now on, I do not want my sessions with Joker to be disturbed. Walking in while I’m with a patient is not only disrespecting me as a doctor, but it is also harmful to my patient’s well being. How is he supposed to feel safe with me if you or anyone else can simply walk in during our sessions? Would you have done this to any other doctor?” 

Vane shook his head. “No...I mean…I’m sorry Dr. Quinzel.” Wyndam glanced over at Joker who was grinning like a cheshire cat. 

“Yeah Doc Vane, you are hampering my trust.” He stuck his bottom lip out dramatically. “You want me to get better dontcha?” 

Vane blushed, stepping back and repeated, “I’m sorry Dr. Quinzel…” 

“Good. Now, we were just finishing up here.” Harleen grabbed the door and as Vane stepped back she could see Cash and the other guard. She glared at them all and slammed the door in their faces. 

Joker laughed. “Oh Harls, you are such a spitfire! I love it!” 

Harleen turned back again and giggled at his description of her. “Thanks, but I guess you should get back to your room. We won’t be meeting tomorrow afternoon…” 

Joker gasped. “What?” 

Harleen sighed. “I’ll be on night shift tonight, so I have to go grab a few hours of sleep then I’ll be back on duty.” 

“Nightshift, really?” Joker smiled. “Maybe you can pop over and see me?” 

Harleen smiled. “I might be able to.” 

Joker beamed at her. “I look forward to it Harley.” 

* 

Joker sat on his bed with his back to the wall. He had his eyes closed, his legs crossed while letting his mind wander and thinking about Harley. He was tempted to masturbate, the thought of touching himself while thinking about her was so tempting. He licked his bottom lip thinking about the buttons on her dress, about pulling them open one by one. He smirked, wondering what color bra she wore when he heard the sound of someone unlocking the door to his room. 

Joker’s eyes popped open and looked over to see Dr. Huntoon along with several other guards, all guards Joker knew. There was Frank Boles, a real jackass. Joker had stabbed him with a pen once. The others were Henry Smith, Louis Green, Paul Salt, and Bill Robe, and each one of them bore a scar that he had given them. 

“Ooh, is this like a school yard take down? Are you guys here to teach me a lesson?” Joker grinned, but he didn’t move from where he sat on the cot. “Gonna shake me down for my lunch money? Maybe send me home with a black eye?” Joker giggled. 

Huntoon sneered. “Dr. Quinzel thinks she is hot shit, thinks she’s one of the boys…comes in here with her pretty face and...and that body and thinks she can wrap everyone around her pretty little finger. Gonna make a name for herself by being your doctor? Well, she isn’t…” 

Joker narrowed his eyes with a slight tilt of his chin forward. “This is about Harley?” 

Huntoon snarled. “I’m going to show her who really runs this asylum and it ain’t some stupid bitch fresh out of school. Men, men like me…” He thumped his chest. “We are the ones who make history, we are the ones who run this place, who make names for themselves. Not little sluts who sleep their way through college and into careers!” 

Joker slowly, like a predator, moved off his cot. “You’re trying to hurt Harley? Trying to make me look bad? Wow, your dick must be microscopic! Can’t stand her being a better doctor than you must make that little dick of yours just shrivel right back up there until even you can’t find it.” Joker laughed. 

Huntoon growled, pointing a finger at Joker. “Don’t you dare insult me, you piece of shit!” 

Joker grinned and held up both hands, with both middle fingers extended. “You know what Huntoon? Suck on this, and sit on this!” Joker laughed. 

Huntoon shouted. “I want him down! He attacked me! You saw it!” 

The guards rushed Joker as Huntoon stepped into a corner. Joker struggled, but with five of them and in the tight space of his room, he didn’t have much room to maneuver. Joker managed to shove his thumb into Paul’s eye, causing the man to scream and he ripped his fingernails down Bill’s cheek and throat, but soon, they had him pinned to the floor. Joker hissed and struggled until one of the guards slugged him across the face, another hitting him in the chest hard enough that Joker gasped. Huntoon pushed his way through the guards, toward the pale man. Joker could see the doctor held a syringe. Joker wasn’t really scared. He’d been drugged before, lots of times over the years of his being in an out of Arkham Asylum, but he didn’t want to be drugged by Huntoon, especially if it was going to affect Harley. 

Huntoon grinned as he pushed on the syringe, causing a small spurt of liquid to leap into the air. “Dr. Quinzel is going to find her famous patient is now under my care once I reason with Dr. Arkham. She is also going to find you’ve been moved to the infirmary under solitary since you attacked me…” 

Joker didn’t say anything, he simply narrowed his eyes at Huntoon making not a sound as the doctor stuck the needle in his arm.


	7. The Importance of Patient

The alarm went off and the radio came alive with the sounds of Van McCoy’s “The Hustle” playing loudly. 

Harleen groaned, rolling over onto her side and yanking her pillow over her head, but the alarm clock continued to play it’s horrible upbeat song. She sighed and pulled the pillow off her head, rolling back the other way to slam her hand down on the alarm, nearly knocking the radio off the table. 

She rolled over and sat up, rubbing her hands over her face and into her hair. She glanced at the clock and sighed. Three hours of sleep… 

Harleen groaned loudly grabbing up her glasses and marching to her bathroom. She was going to try not to be grumpy, but she didn’t think there was enough coffee in the universe to make three hours sleep and a fourteen hour shift right after a ten hour shift bearable, but she was going to try. 

She showered and pulled on something comfortable. She was going to be damned if she was going to spend her night in a dress or slacks. Instead, she went with a pair of bell-bottom jeans and a snug red turtleneck. She pulled the sides of her hair back with a couple of hair clips and decided she wasn’t going to bother with makeup, but she did spritz herself with a little Yves Saint Laurent Opium, a gift she bought herself for her birthday last year that she was going to make last for the next decade since it was so expensive. 

Harleen took a deep breath and headed down to grab as much coffee as she could before heading over to the main building. 

* 

The cafeteria was mostly silent and the lights were dim. There were a few people in here, a couple of doctors she didn’t know, a nurse or two, and a handful of orderlies. She smiled when she smelled the scent of good, strong coffee. Harleen grabbed a mug and headed over to the coffee machine to fill her cup up with the dark, hot brew. The first cup she drank black, the second she loaded with cream and sugar, while the third she grabbed a lidded cup and took with her. 

The evening air felt cold--just a degree or two above freezing, she thought--and there were light flakes of snow in the air. Harleen shivered as she hurried across the way and into the main building. She passed one of the guards, yet another person she didn’t know, an older man with a pot belly and a smile that gave Harleen the shivers. The man smiled and inclined his head as Harleen walked by. She nodded in greeting, but moved quickly by. 

She wasn’t sure why it bothered her, but the idea that there were a lot of staff that worked the night shift that she didn’t know made her feel weird. It was like the night shift consisted of an entirely different world full of faces she didn’t recognize. Harleen sipped her coffee and went to check her schedule for the night, trying to dismiss the strange feeling. 

She had just finished her coffee on the elevator and was heading toward her office when a young woman with big green eyes and soft almost wispy brown hair that hung down perfectly straight past her shoulders and in a nurses uniform saw her and waved. 

“Are you Dr. Quinzel?” 

Harleen stopped and nodded. “Yes, I am. Can I help you?” 

The young woman was dressed in a traditional nurse’s outfit of a white collared dress, white hose, thick-soled white shoes, and little nurses cap. When the young nurse stopped in front of her, the woman reminded Harleen of someone she had seen, and in the next second it dawned on her. This nurse, whose name tag read Sallly, made Harleen think immediatley of Linda Kasabian, one of the members of the Manson family who had committed that horrible murder back in 1969. 

“Dr. Quinzel I don’t know if you knew, but one of your patients, the Joker, was moved to solitary in the infirmary a few hours ago by Dr. Huntoon,” Sally said quickly, looking around as if afraid someone was listening to them. “I thought you might want to know since I saw that your name wasn’t on any of the paperwork and…” 

Harleen looked dumbfounded. “What?” 

Sally nodded. “Well according to Dr. Huntoon, Joker attacked him. He had him drugged up and…” 

Harleen snarled and turned, marching back to the elevator. “Take me to Joker now.” 

Sally looked terrified, but nodded and followed Harleen back into the elevator. 

Harleen turned on Sally. “Now tell me exactly what happened.” 

Sally looked nervous. “Well, it was just an hour or so ago. I’m not real sure what went down, but Dr. Huntoon has put in a request with Dr. Arkham to have Joker turned over to his care and he had an order in for Joker to receive electroshock therapy, but...well the real reason I came looking for you after I heard you were on night shift tonight was that Huntoon wasn’t going to wait for approval. He’s having Joker prepared for shock treatment right now.” 

Harleen didn’t mean to, but she grabbed Sally by the shoulders and shoved her up against the side of the elevator. “What do you mean he’s preparing him for tonight?” 

Sally let out a startled yelp, but nodded, her eyes huge. “Yeah, it seemed hinky. I mean, no one likes the Joker or really cares, but well, Dr. Sinner said once that we women need to look out for each other, not just as women, but also as professionals. And Dr. Huntoon has been bad mouthing you since you came on. This just seemed like...well, like he was trying to undermine you…” Sally spoke swiftly, her eyes wide. 

Harleen hissed. “That asshole.” 

She stepped back, releasing Sally’s shoulders. “Sorry...just...thank you for finding me.” 

Sally smiled shyly. “It’s cool Dr. Quinzel.” 

* 

When Harleen arrived at the infirmary with Sally, walking past an orderly at the desk reading a book, the nurse took her to the back room that was little more than an animal cage with a hospital bed and equipment inside. 

Except she saw no Joker there. 

“Where is he?” Harleen frowned in confusion, turning to look at Sally who seemed to shrink a little. “I’m sorry Dr. Quinzel, I don’t...” 

Harleen turned and marched back to the front desk of the infirmary where one of the large male orderlies still sat reading a copy of Jacqueline Susann’s “Once is Not Enough.” The man hadn’t looked at them when they marched past him and he didn’t look up now even when Harleen cleared her throat. 

Harleen snarled and snatched the book out of the man’s hands. “Where is the Joker?” 

The orderly, whose name tag read Will, gave Harleen a dirty look. “Dr. Huntoon took that freak to the ECT room, doctor.” The man said doctor with enough sarcasm that Harleen barely stopped herself from slapping him. Instead, she curled her lip at the man and took off at a brisk walk that turned into a run once she rounded the corner to the elevators. 

Harleen rushed into the elevator, her heart pounding. Electroshock therapy could have any number of results. She had read in Joker’s files that he had undergone the same treatment numerous times, but that didn’t mean this time wouldn’t be the one to turn his brain to mush. She wouldn’t put it past Dr. Huntoon to try to electrocute Joker. 

Once she was off the elevator, she took off at a run down the hall, heading toward the ECT room. She came to a stop when she reached the door. She could hear voices on the other side. She shoved the door open and rushed inside. 

There she saw Joker, strapped down; his wrists and ankles were strapped to the bed with leather straps, and there were six men hovering over him. Four orderlies and two guards stood ready, one orderly for each leg, another for each shoulder, while the two guards stood ready to jump in if necessary. Joker had a large plastic mouthpiece between his teeth, lying there shirtless. His lean body had tensed as the nurse behind him held the large padded electrodes to Joker’s temples with the nurse holding another hand under Joker’s jaw, holding his mouth closed. 

And beside the nurse stood a smiling Dr. Huntoon. 

Harleen had walked in just as the device had been turned on, too late to stop them. 

The sharp, electrical sound of the machine along with Joker’s muffled groan of pain behind the plastic guard in his mouth. His body tensed then thrashed against the bed as he convulsed, his limbs shaking with tremors. He made a soft moaning sound behind the rubber mouthpiece. The entire scene hurt Harleen, like a stab to the heart. What they had just done to him made Harleen want to vomit. 

His blue eyes were wide open, the pain in them clear. 

“What are you doing to my patient?!” Harleen shouted, immediately slamming her hand against the door drawing the attention of everyone in the room. 

Huntoon looked over and smiled. “Ah Dr. Quinzel, how nice to see you. Joker is my patient now.” 

Harleen hissed. “NO he isn’t, he’s my patient you pompous ass. Strange put him in my care!” 

“Well, by morning he’ll be mine once Dr. Arkham signs him over to me, but that’s simply paperwork. Unlike Strange, Arkham is a push over--and if you hadn’t noticed sweetheart, a drug addict. He’ll sign Joker over to me without issue. Besides, I’m a doctor and I’m here to help. You clearly did not have the situation under control since he attacked me.” Huntoon smiled like a slimy snake that stirred up such violent thoughts in Harleen’s mind, like using her fingernails to rip his lips off, that the image, her own violent need to hurt Dr. Huntoon made her want to take a step back from herself... 

Harleen narrowed her eyes, her hands balling into fists, her nails pressing into her palms. “If Joker attacked you Huntoon, you wouldn’t be standing here to whine about it, so you are clearly lying.” 

That statement had several of the people in the room looking sheepish and a couple of them nodded their agreement. Everyone knew, if the Joker attacked, you were either dead or walking away with scars. 

She turned her gaze on the others in the room. “Anyone lays one more hand on my patient, I will make sure you are walking out of this establishment with a pink slip!” 

The nurse looked nervous, glancing at the others in the room who now looked unsure what to do or who to listen to. The nurse let go of Joker, who had stopped seizing. He looked exhausted, his pale chalk-white skin looked greyish, but his eyes rolled down to meet her gaze. She couldn’t decipher the look in his gaze. 

“I want my patient back in his room...NOW,” Harleen ground out through her teeth as she glared at each of the orderlies, the nurse, and the guards. 

Huntonn came over and took Harleen by her upper arm, turning her around. “Come on sweetheart. We should talk.” 

Harleen yanked her arm free of Huntoon’s grasp. “I am not your sweetheart.” 

Huntoon slammed the door shut behind them after they stepped out of the room. “Look, Harleen…” 

Harleen growled. “It’s Dr. Quinzel to you.” 

Hunton gave her a dirty look before he surprised her and shoved up against the wall, pressing himself against her. Harleen gasped in shock and not a little bit of pain as Huntoon dug his fingers into her upper arms, holding her in place. 

“Now look Harleen, I might be able to see my way into letting you have access to my patient if you are willing to play the game a bit.” He smiled, his eyes moving down to look at her breasts. He smirked. “I am aware that the only way a pretty girl like you got through medical school had to be by giving out favors. What’s one more favor in order to keep your job?” Huntoon reached up and grabbed Harleen’s breast. 

Harleen gasped. (Hher immediate thought was to knee him in the crotch. She wanted to destroy his balls, make the man scream; but, that would be a physical assault, her word against his would lose all meaning if she dropped him to his knees by crushing his balls.) Instead she slammed her hands against his chest, sending him stumbling back two steps before she slapped him across the face. “You touch me again, you’ll be lucky to walk away with your balls intact!” she snarled and turned. “I’m going to talk to Strange.” 

Huntoon grabbed her by her shoulder and spun her around. “Don’t you dare, you little slut!” 

Harleen cried out in surprise, but this time she did hit him. Her right arm snapped out before she realized what she was doing. (She had taken a self-defense class while in med school. It had been sort of a women’s bonding thing since there hadn’t been a lot of women in med school at the time. Harleen had loved the class and she still tried to practice from time to time, though she was the first to admit she had been slacking since starting at Arkham.) When Huntoon grabbed her this time, Harleen reacted according to her training. She slammed the flat of her hand against his chest, knowing exactly where to hit Huntoon to knock him back, leaving him gasping in for breath and in pain. 

“Don’t you touch me again!” Harleen shouted. 

She took off at a brisk walk, leaving Huntoon gasping behind her. “This...isn’t over…” he tried to yell after her, though his voice was small as he rubbed at his chest. 

Harleen ignored him. 

* 

It took forty minutes to get Strange. 

Harleen headed down to security. She was too afraid, she hated to admit, of Huntoon finding her before she got a hold of Strange and she wasn’t sure how to do it since she didn’t know if 

Strange stayed on the island like everyone else. She decided that security seemed the best bet, which it turned out to be. 

There were two men in the security office when she arrived, neither of whom she knew. One was a large black man with a close shaved head and missing an eye, whose name tag read Robeson and a slender man with thinning brown hair and the beginnings of a beer belly named Davis. The two men were smoking in the office while playing a game of cards when Harleen burst in. 

“I need someone to get Dr. Strange, it’s an emergency.” 

The man named Robeson stood up. He was easily six feet one or taller. “There a problem Doc?” 

She nodded. “Yes, but it’s something I need to talk to Dr. Strange about.” 

The one called Davis frowned. “Well ma’am, Dr. Strange don’t like to be disturbed…” 

“I don’t care!” Harleen hissed. She was doing her best not to sound hysterical, but she was so angry, angrier than she could ever recall being, except maybe that time her brother… 

Harleen quickly dismissed the thought to focus on her problem right now. 

She sighed and shoved her fingers under her glasses to rub her eyes where she could feel the hint of frustrated tears. “Look, I need to speak with Dr. Strange and it is something that cannot wait until morning. It involves the Joker.” 

The man named Robeson blinked like he had been stunned, then nodded. “Okay doc, okay.” 

He reached for the phone and picked up the receiver, dialing a number. He waited a few seconds then answered. “Sir, I have a doctor…” He glanced at her and Harleen said softly. “Dr. Harleen Quinzel.” 

“I have a Dr. Harleen Quinzel who says she needs to speak with you right now concerning the Joker. Yes...huh...okay, thank you sir.” Robeson hung up. “Dr. Strange said to go to his office--he’ll be there shortly.” 

* 

Harleen paced in front of Strange’s office for the forty minutes it took him to arrive. She kept a look out for Huntoon, torn between going to see if Joker had been moved yet and if Huntoon was trying anything else on her patient, to worry about Huntoon finding her here by Strange’s office, alone. 

When Strange did arrive, he had Dr. Arkham in tow, along with a smug looking Dr. Huntoon. 

Strange was wearing an oversized puffy blue winter coat that would be more appropriate for wearing while skiing. Underneath Harleen could see that Strange was in his pajamas and robe with a pair of galoshes on. He almost looked like someone’s grandfather who had gone outside to take out the trash. 

Arkham, on the other hand, was wearing a pair of corduroy slacks, a stained white dress shirt and a leather jacket. He looked dazed and kept looking around him like he wasn’t quite sure where he was at the moment. 

Strange nodded to Harleen. “Dr. Quinzel.” 

“Dr. Strange, Dr. Arkham...I…” she started but Dr. Strange cut her off holding up one finger. “Wait, let’s go into my office first, I have asked a nurse to bring us all some coffee from the cafeteria. After I’ve had my jolt of caffeine, we can discuss the issue at hand.” 

Harleen nodded, shooting a glare at Huntoon who was smirking at her. She wanted nothing more than to rip that smug look off his face she thought as she followed Dr. Strange inside. Everyone had to wait another moment or two for the nurse to arrive with the coffee before Dr. Strange was willing to begin discussions. Once everyone had their coffee, a couple of additional chairs were brought in, and Strange had taken several long seconds to sip his coffee. (Dr. Arkham held his coffee with shaking hands Harleen noticed. She also noticed that Dr. Strange kept a careful eye on Arkham, making sure he drank the coffee until Arkham looked slightly more coherent; only then did Strange set his cup down on his desk.) 

“All right, what seems to be the problem that couldn’t wait until after I had gotten a good night's sleep?” Strange looked at both Huntoon and Harleen. “Let’s start with you Dr. Quinzel.” 

Harleen nodded. “Sir, I came on shift tonight to find out that not only had Dr. Huntoon drugged my patient, but I also caught him giving electroshock therapy to my patient without my consent.” 

Dr. Huntoon snarled. “Joker attacked me and I was simply carrying out the form of treatment I thought best for my patient.” 

Dr. Strange frowned. “And tell me Dr. Huntoon--when was Joker your patient? As I recall, Dr. Quinzel was given authority over Joker’s treatment and, as far as I know, that hasn’t changed.” 

Dr. Huntoon frowned slightly, but he seemed to puff his chest out as he replied. “Joker attacked me sir. I had him drugged to control him. I set up the ECT as part of his treatment. I was going to see Dr. Arkham about having Joker’s treatment signed over to me in…” 

Strange narrowed his eyes at Huntoon. “Then you should probably have waited on treating the patient until after Joker was under your care. Not before.” 

Harleen lifted an eyebrow as Huntoon whined. “But sir, he attacked me! That woman…” He pointed an accusing finger at Harleen. “...has no control over that man. She has him in a regular room! She gave him paper!! I even heard from Dr. Vane that she has him in her office without restraints!!!” Huntoon’s voice slowly grew in pitch as he spoke. 

Harleen folded her arms over her chest, fighting to stay quiet. She didn’t want to look or sound hysterical, but she was so angry she could spit. Dr. Vane was going to get a talking to as well. She felt betrayed by Wyndham, telling Roger Huntoon of all people about Joker’s sessions...she pressed her lips together and waited. 

Dr. Strange glanced at Arkham. “I suppose you would have given your consent to letting Dr. Huntoon take over Joker’s care?” 

Arkham looked a bit like a bug under a heat lamp, very uncomfortable. “Well...I…” 

Harleen spoke up. “Dr. Huntoon assaulted me as well.” 

“You fucking bitch! I did no…” Huntoon began. 

Strange frowned holding a hand up for silence, looking from her to Huntoon before he took a deep breath. “I want the two of you to wait outside while Dr. Arkham and I discuss this.” 

Harleen blinked in surprise. “But…” 

Strange gave his head a quick shake. “Just wait outside.” 

Harleen sighed, blinking back tears of anger and frustration as she turned and grabbed the doorknob, resisting the urge to shut the door back in Huntoon’s face. 

She went to lean against the wall once she was outside of Strange’s office, resting on one side of the door, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Huntoon leaned on the other side, giving her a smirk and sliding his hands into the pockets of his doctor’s coat. “You'll be lucky to keep your job after this, getting Dr. Strange up in the middle of the night…” He tsked at her and shook his head laughing. “You just fucked yourself over, you know that?” 

Harleen glared and hissed at him. “Don’t talk to me.” 

Huntoon chuckled. “You shouldn’t be such a bitch you know. Smile a little, maybe you can get Dr. Vane to marry you, become a little housewife like you should have been in the first place instead of trying to play doctor…or maybe you could just spread those pretty legs for me and I’ll let you play nurse?” 

Harleen glared at him. “You’ve got a big mouth you know that Roger? Must be trying to make up for that small dick you’ve got.” 

Huntoon opened his mouth to reply, anger making his face turn red, but that was when the door of Strange’s office opened and Strange leaned out. “If you’ll both come in…” 

Huntoon hurried to be the first inside, nearly elbowing Harleen who simply stepped aside and walked in after. Strange moved back behind his desk, while Arkham looked tired and pale, sitting in one of the chairs. 

Strange pulled his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. “Dr. Quinzel, you will remain Joker’s doctor…” 

Huntoon started to speak out, but Strange cut him off with a glare. “Nothing has happened to show that Dr. Quinzel is not doing her job, nor to show that she is doing a poor job. You, on the other hand Roger, have not only shown disrespect for a colleague, but you have shown that you have difficulty working within the rules.” 

Huntoon snapped his mouth shut hard enough that Harleen would swear she heard his teeth snap shut. 

Strange glared at Huntoon. “If I find out that you have meddled with Dr. Quinzel’s patients--any of her patients--in any way, you will find yourself scrubbing vomit off the floor with the night nurses in the addict center. Got it?” 

Huntoon took a breath through his nose, looking as if he wanted to respond, but he nodded. 

“You may leave. I want to talk to Dr. Quinzel alone. You too Dr. Arkham, if you please.” Huntoon and Arkham left the office quickly ,though Roger shot Harleen another dirty look. She knew without a doubt that he would try something else at some point, maybe not with her patients, but something. She would have to watch out for herself. 

Harleen turned back to Dr. Strange. “You aren’t going to do anything to him about his assaulting me?” 

Strange sighed. “Have a seat my dear.” 

Harleen sat, looking annoyed. 

“You see dear, assault comes down to a “he said, she said” issue and Huntoon has been here longer than you…” Strange began, but Harleen hissed. 

“That shouldn't make a difference! He told me if I had sex with him, he might let me have my patients! That’s not just sexual harassment, that’s sexual exploitation!” 

Strange rested his elbows on his desk, his fingers steepled. “I understand your frustration Harleen, but despite all of Huntoon’s flaws, he is still a man and you are a woman.” 

Harleen gasped, but Strange just stared at her as if trying to will her to understand. “No matter how good a doctor you are, you are still working in what is essentially a male dominated career. There will always be men like Roger Huntoon at most asylums, hospitals, clinics, and they will take the man’s side in any dispute. I’m taking your side in this as much as I can, but ultimately I need to let Huntoon stay, not just because he is a man, but he is a doctor who has been here longer. And honestly, Arkham Asylum can’t afford to toss away good doctors.” 

Harleen’s brows had lowered and her jaw clenched, but she said nothing. She had gotten a similar lecture in med school about working in a man’s world, told that she would always be fighting for her place. 

Harleen chewed her bottom lip before she asked. “But, you won’t let him try this with me again?” 

Strange smiled. “Well, I can’t stop him from trying since I cannot predict what he’ll do, but I promise Dr. Quinzel. I will have your back.” 

Harleen nodded. “Thank you.” She stood. “I should go check on my patient.” 

Strange stood as well. “Of course.” 

Harleen stopped at the door. “Thank you again, Dr. Strange.” 

He smiled and inclined his head as Harleen turned and walked away. 

* 

Huntoon was nowhere to be found when Harleen left Strange’s office. Good, she thought. She wanted to kick his ass and if she saw him, she didn’t trust herself not to slam her foot so far up his... 

Harleen took a deep breath, fighting her violent thoughts, letting them slip away. She gave her shoulders a shake before she started to walk again at a clipped pace. 

She made her way down to Joker’s room, first stopping to get a set of keys from the nurses station. A young woman who looked a great deal like the actress Kristy McNichol with how the young nurse had her hair cut looked up at Harleen with an expression of unease, quickly handing over the key to Joker’s room. 

“I would like to have a copy of this key made. Is that possible?” Harleen asked. “I don’t want to always have to search for someone when I want to speak with my patient in his room.” 

The young woman, whose name tag read Loni, nodded. “Sure thing Dr. Quinzel.” 

Harleen smiled, leaving the nurse and heading over to make a quick stop at the cafeteria. Once there, she grabbed a couple of chocolate pudding cups and a couple of spoons, dropping the metal cups into her pocket along with the spoons before she headed back. 

Harleen fingered the keys while she walked. First thing in the morning she was going to request a copy to Joker’s room. 

On her way to the ward, she passed a couple of guards, both of whom looked less than alert, the two of them in a deep conversation about how hot Angie Dickinson was in the latest episode of Police Woman. 

They glanced up when she came walking by. Both of them simply nodded at her, acknowledging her presence without checking her ID--not that Harleen cared. She nodded and kept walking. When she arrived at Joker’s room she stood on tiptoe and looked inside through the small window. She could just barely make out his figure from the light coming in from the hall behind her. He was lying on his side, curled into a fetal position, barefoot, shirtless, wearing only his asylum issued pants. Harleen bit her bottom lip, gazing at him. He looked so thin right now, fragile. She frowned in disapproval. No one had bothered to cover him up or lay his head on a pillow. She doubted anyone had brought him anything to eat or drink after what he had just been through; the monsters she thought. She dropped down to her feet, then unlocked the door and stepped inside. 

“Joker?” She said his name softly, turning to close the door behind her quietly. 

When he didn't move or answer her, Harleen moved closer to his bunk, careful of the paper creations that littered the small floor space. She thought perhaps she should have someone in here with her, a guard, an orderly, but she trusted Joker not to hurt her. Maybe that was foolish, but she liked to think in their short time together that she had begun to develop a rapport with him, a relationship. 

Harleen knelt down beside his bed near his head. “Joker, can you hear me?” 

He didn’t respond to her. 

Harleen frowned softly and her brow creased in distress for him. She reached out and gently brushed his green hair back from his temple where she could now see angry red burn marks on his ghost white flesh. The red marks looked vicious and angry, harsh on his pale skin. She very gently touched the mark at his temple. 

“Those monsters,” she whispered. 

She nearly jumped a foot when Joker whispered without opening his eyes. “I’m fine Harley.” 

Harleen gasped, grabbing her chest. “I thought you were asleep!” 

He opened his eyes and smiled at her, the slight gap showing between his front teeth as the smile spread across his face while he remained unmoving. “Nope, just resting. Nothing like a bit of electroshock therapy to giving the brain a good old mental flossing.” 

He giggled softly and rolled onto his back. He folded his hands across his chest, grinning at Harleen. 

“What are you doing here sweets?” he asked. His eyes, she noted, were a clear blue lacking any of the disorientation she might have associated with someone being drugged and receiving electroshock therapy. 

Harleen blushed a little, easing herself down on the floor to sit cross-legged. “Just wanted to check on you.” 

Joker smiled, moving his joined fingers up and down as he looked up at the dark ceiling of his room. “Oh, I’m fine my darling girl. That was mild. Did you know that one time I was here and some of the doctors conspired to give me a lethal overdose? Well, actually more than once. If I had a nickel for every time the doctors here tried to kill me with an overdose, I would be as rich as old Brucie Wayne!” 

Harleen gasped in shock, which only elicited a laugh from him. “Oh yeah sweets, they’ve tried that many times, but it seems Old Joker here is immune to...well, everything. All that chemical mumbo jumbo doesn't have any affect on me since I’ve played around with enough drugs to kill a dinosaur!” 

Harleen frowned. “Still...did you report it?” 

Joker laughed, rolling onto his side where he propped his head on his hand. “Nah, who is going to believe me anyway? No one cares about me, my sweet doctor. I’m a bad man remember? A very bad man.” He giggled. 

Harleen sighed. “It doesn’t matter what you’ve done. You deserve to be treated like any other patient; you deserve to feel safe too.” 

Joker smiled softly at her and his blue eyes twinkled. “You are just so good, aren’t you sweets? You really care don’t you? You know, that’s going to get you hurt, or worse. That’s one thing you need to learn to survive in here, or out there...” He pointed at the door. “No one cares.” 

Harleen gazed at him and said in a soft tone, “I care.” 

Joker frowned and stared back at her for a long moment, neither of them saying anything. 

Joker finally whispered. “That’s gonna get you killed sweets. You need to be ready to fight back. You stay innocent, that innocence is going to get taken from you, violently.” 

Harleen frowned as an image of Huntoon rose up in her thoughts. “I don’t know about being sweet and innocent.” She looked down at her lap, rubbing her thumbnail. “I was angry enough tonight that, if I had had a chance, I might have found a way to tear Dr. Huntoon’s manhood off and…” 

Harleen stopped herself looking over at Joker who was watching her with an amused expression. She cleared her throat before she continued. “You won’t have to worry about Huntoon any longer, by the way. Strange put him in his place. I’m to remain your doctor.” 

Joker smiled brightly. “That is good news. I like you sweets. Dr. Huntoon isn’t nearly as pretty, and he isn’t as much fun to talk to.” 

Harleen giggled softly, then gasped. “Oh! I brought you something?” 

Joker pushed himself up to a sitting position on his bunk. “Oh? What did you bring me?” 

Harleen pulled out two pudding cups and waved them around a bit. “I thought we could share dessert and talk for a little while.” 

Joker clapped his hands together. “Pudding!!” 

Harleen laughed, handing him the metal pudding cup container and a plastic spoon. She opened hers, peeling back the top. Joker stopped to watch her lick the pudding off the lid, his eyes gazed at her tongue, pink in the dim light. Her lips glistened when she licked them. Her lips were, he decided, perfect. He liked the shape of her lips, not too full, not too thin, kissable lips. It was funny, he thought as he watched her, he had never kissed anyone before, on the mouth...with tongue…which made him wonder what her tongue in his mouth would be like. He very much wanted to know what that would be like. He grinned, liking the way she licked her lips, liking the way her turtleneck tugged against her breasts, the way her hair fell softly against her shoulders. Joker liked everything about her. 

As she carefully licked the edges of the lid, Joker felt a swelling tug in his groin. He wanted to feel her tongue on him, all over him, he wanted to feel her naked body writhing against his body… 

Joker looked away. 

Damn it, what was she doing to him? It angered him, but at the same time it was exciting, thrilling, something so new to him, something he was so unfamiliar with...Attraction… 

As his eyes shot back up to her face. He promised himself at that moment, that one way or another, he was going to make her his girl. He wanted her and he was certain that she would want him. He felt that it would be right, as if the chaos would find some balance within itself. 

Joker grinned with pleasure at the thought and opened his own pudding cup, licked the lid, gave her a smile, and waggled his eyebrows at her with a smile. 

Harleen’s heart skipped a beat, watching him lick the pudding off the lid. The way he dragged his tongue over the lid. His tongue was a little longer than average...wasn’t it, she asked herself… 

She felt her breath catch... 

Oh...she thought...wow… 

His blue eyes twinkled and his smile was infectious. His green hair was a mess, which only made her nipples tighten with the thought of running her hands through the thick green locks, yanking his head back while she attacked his throat. Hickeys would stand out on his ghost white skin… 

Harleen felt a shudder. Why on earth was she thinking thoughts like that about a patient!! And the Joker to boot! 

She pressed her lips together. Wyndham hadn’t inspired this sort of plain out and out lust in her. Maybe...she dismissed the thoughts. She would have to examine those thoughts later, much later. Maybe she needed a little self care, that had to be it. She couldn’t remember the last time she had masturbated, she had been so busy lately...that had to be it. 

Joker grinned at her. “Why don’t you come sit up with here with me Harley?” Joker patted the cot next to him. “I promise not to bite--unless you ask me to.” 

Harleen blushed and giggled, standing up to sit beside him, sitting cross-legged. 

Joker grinned at her. “That’s better, now we’re two friends sharing pudding.” 

He held up his spoonful of chocolate pudding to her, Harleen giggled and held up her spoonful to his. Joker lightly tapped her spoon before sticking his spoon in his mouth. 

“So Harley, tell me about your last meal with Dr. Vane.” Joker dipped his spoon into his can. 

Harleen frowned looking at her pudding as she spooned out some more. “Not much to tell really.” 

“So does Wyndham...I don’t know...do it for you?” Joker stuck a large spoonful of pudding in his mouth, lifting a brow at her. 

Harleen blushed examining her pudding cup with her spoon. “I don’t think that is really something I should be discussing with you.” 

Joker frowned with his spoon still in his mouth. He spoke around the utensil. “Why not? Aren’t we friends?” 

Harleen glanced sideways at him. He smiled at her, somehow managing to look adorable with the plastic spoon in his mouth, his messy green hair, blue eyes, and slender...bare chest… 

She swallowed looking away. “Because I’m your doctor.” 

“Yes, but we’re friends aren’t we?” Joker asked softly, reaching over to gently brush a lock of her blonde hair back behind her ear. He desperately wanted to touch more of her, but the torture of limiting himself was fun. 

Harleen felt a shiver that ran down her spine and spread over her in a warm wave. Her first thought was that she wanted him to touch her again. 

Harleen took a breath. “I don’t know, are we?” 

Joker smiled reached over to lightly touch her chin, turning her to face him. “I’m your friend Harley. Don’t ever doubt that.” 

Harleen stared at him lost for a moment in his eyes. 

Joker reached over and gently ran the tips of his fingers over her lips, which tickled. She turned away, sucking her lips in. Joker didn’t touch her again, though he wanted to. He waited instead, watching her intently. 

Harleen answered softly. “I...I don’t feel anything for him, Dr. Vane. I feel nothing when he touches me.” 

Joker smiled and nodded. “I see.” 

Harleen glanced over at him; they stared at each other. Joker reached out and lightly dragged the back of his fingers against her hand that rested on her lap. He noticed she didn’t pull away, which made him smile. 

Harleen felt his touch like a rush of heat that spread through her body from each point of contact. It was thrilling--and frightening. 

Harleen stood up. “I ah...I should go.” 

Joker smiled. “Of course my sweet, I understand. Will we be meeting tomorrow afternoon like usual?” 

Joker hadn’t moved from his spot on the cot, but Harleen was now at the door. She turned to look at him, shoving her empty pudding cup and spoon in her pocket. “Of course.” 

Joker grinned. “I’m looking forward to it. Good night Dr. Quinzel.” He drew out her last name, saying it in a way that made Harleen feel like he was running his tongue over her… 

She quickly dropped the thought with a shiver. 

“Good night Joker--sleep well,” Harleen said softly, smiling at him, and blushing. She couldn’t help herself. 

Joker purred. “Good night doctor.” 

Harleen stepped out and locked his door. Joker looked down. She had forgotten to take the pudding cup or spoon. He smirked. The mischief he could get into with these two things...but not right now. No, he didn't want Harleen to get into trouble and he didn’t want to be away from her. Joker hid the spoon under his thin mattress. The cup he hid under a pile of origami cranes, though he doubted anyone would come and search his room. They were all too scared, which was just how he liked it. 

Joker laid down and put his hands behind his head, smiling as he let his eyes drift shut, thinking about Harleen...Harley...his Harley. She was going to be his he thought with delight. After a few minutes of lying still and doing nothing but thinking about her, Joker reached down, snaking his hand under his pants to grab himself, and with a soft groan he thought of Harley… 

* 

Harleen shivered and walked down the hall. Joker was doing things to her that she didn’t understand, but the odd thing was that she didn’t want him to stop. Her attraction to him was intense--she couldn’t deny how attracted she was to him. There was just something...alluring about him. 

Was that wrong? She asked herself as she walked. Was there something wrong with her? Was she a horrible doctor? No, no, she was a good doctor, she hoped. Whatever was going on with her attraction to the Joker was just something she was going to have to work on. It wasn’t unusual for doctors to find their patients attractive, was it? She just had to figure out how to control her random thoughts and focus on her work. She could do this. She could balance her attraction to him while she worked on curing him. Heck, maybe her attraction to him would help her in helping him, though she wasn't sure how. She just had to make sure no one found out, especially Huntoon. 

Harleen was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn’t notice that the guards were gone. 

She walked quickly, heading to the nurses station looking for Loni. She frowned in confusion when she noticed no one at the station when she arrived. Harleen frowned, looking around the station. There should be a nurse, or at least an orderly, here at all times she thought with a frown, even on night shift. At least she assumed there should be... 

That was when she noticed what looked like a drop of something on the floor in front of the nurses station. As she stepped closer, dropping into a crouch, Harleen saw that the drop was red, or, at least it looked red in the dim light... 

She reached down and touched it, the drop smearing as she brought her finger up to her face and narrowed her eyes. She sniffed the smear on her finger… 

Harleen was grabbed from behind by her hair. She reached up to grab at the hand that held her hair, ripping some of it from her head as she was hauled to her feet. Harleen tried to turn to see who had her, but before she could twist, whoever had her lifted her off her feet, the toes of her shoes squeaking against the linoleum before she was thrown against the wall. 

Harleen’s body hit the wall hard enough that the air left her lungs in a painful whoosh. Her shoulder popped out of its socket. She cried out in shock at the sudden flash of pain and tried to turn, but whoever attacked her slammed her head against the wall. 

Harleen gasped, her eyes rolled, and she slipped down to the floor. 

The last thing she saw before she passed out was a pair of paper covers used by surgeons to cover their shoes while in the surgery theater...


	8. Enemies and Confidantes

Harleen blinked a few times, aware that her cheek was pressed against the cold floor. She noticed a metallic taste in her mouth and her head hurt, her glasses were skewed, covering only one eye. She lay on the floor unmoving, her head spinning, and could feel the beat of her heart in time with the throb of her head. She blinked and felt sick to her stomach. The urge to vomit was strong, but she fought the urge down. That was the last thing she wanted, to throw up and have that taste in her mouth too. But the worst part was that being knocked out had caused her to wet herself, a common reaction to being knocked unconscious, but it still was embarrassing--or would be if anyone was here to see her. 

Harleen pushed herself to her feet, using the wall to hold herself up. Once she regained her feet, Harleen leaned against the wall trying to keep her balance and straightened her glasses (the leg on the left side was crooked and she was thankful the glass hadn’t broken at least.) Everything was spinning like she had been drinking--which she hadn’t done since her early years in college--and the urge to vomit felt stronger now. She waited, took shallow breaths, and reached up to gingerly probe the back of her head. It felt as if she had a goose egg back there. The skin also felt burned, probably from when whoever had grabbed her pulled some of her hair out at the roots. 

Harleen closed her eyes. The headache was not a huge one, but definitely throbbing behind her eyes. She moved to touch her forehead where she had been lying on the floor. There was some pain and a small knot, and when she brought her fingers back to look at them, she saw only a small drop of blood, nothing to cause her any concern. Well at least she wasn’t going to need stitches, she thought sarcastically. 

She gingerly touched the lump. No wonder her head hurt like a son-of-a-bitch though. What had they hit her with she wondered? Her anger was helping to clear her head a bit as she moved slowly. It had to be Huntoon she thought, that asshole, it just had to be. Although, maybe he didn’t attack her himself. He could have paid someone to hurt her. The wouldn’t put it past him, the lousy motherfucker! 

Harleen closed her eyes for a moment as the flood of anger made her dizzier for a moment, but she took a couple of deep breaths. She turned, keeping her hands on the wall, and walked herself down the hall. She needed to get to the employee showers where she could shower, change into a spare set of scrubs that were usually kept in the showers for emergencies. She knew that serve other floors in the asylum had employee showers of varying sizes. They were there in the event a patient vomited, threw feces, bled on staff, or any other way an employee could be spoiled by a patient. She didn’t know for sure if there was on this floor, but she hoped so; the idea of taking the elevator or stairs made her nausea worse. And the longer it took her to get cleaned up, the more likely someone would find her. 

She didn’t want to be found yet; she didn’t want anyone to know that Huntoon had gotten to her. And that little part of her--that dark part of herself that reared its head every so often--wanted to get back at him, although not through the proper channels. Oh no, she wanted her own revenge. 

She took a few seconds to try to straighten her glasses, easing the leg back into place, thankful that it didn’t snap before she made her way slowly along the wall. Her dizziness had cleared a little bit, which made moving easier. She saw an orderly making his way along the hall swinging his keys in front of him while he whistled “Rhinestone Cowboy.” He stopped when he saw her, a frown slowly forming on his face in clear confusion. Harleen didn’t recognize the man, which immediately made her think that he might be one of Dr. Huntoon’s men. She knew she was probably being paranoid, but as the old saying went, just because you’re paranoid didn’t mean they weren't out to get you. 

“Hey doctor, you okay?” the young man asked, though he didn’t approach her to check. 

Harleen waved him off. “I’m fine. Where are the employee showers?” 

He looked puzzled. “The ones on this floor?” 

Harleen wanted to throttle him, but instead simply nodded. “Yes.” 

He pointed. “Down the hall, take a right, then another right, you can’t miss them.” 

She gave him a sick smile. “Thank you.” 

The man watched her for a second before he asked reluctantly. “Ah, you need any help?” 

Harleen shook her head, which she realized a second later was a bad idea. She had to press her lips together to hold down the vomit that threatened to make her night even worse before she said softly. “No, I'm fine--thank you.” 

She started to move, the orderly watched her for a few seconds before he began to walk again, picking up his tune where he had left off. 

* 

Finding the showers took forever--at least that was what it felt like to Harleen. She was glad it was the night shift because she hadn’t run into anyone else on the way here and when she walked into the showers, it was empty. She thought briefly about someone attacking her here, but she needed to shower and change more than she was worried about someone attacking her. A few minutes later, Harleen had her eyes closed under a stream of hot water, the water revitalizing her some. The pain was fading and the dizziness with it, which made her sigh in relief. It meant the chances of her having a severe concussion were reduced if the dizziness and pain were fading already. 

After she showered, Harleen changed into a set of scrubs, folding her other clothing to take to her office. She felt better, but now the shock was beginning to wear off. 

Harleen sat down on one of the benches in the changing area, her soiled clothing in her lap. She had found a first aid kit with some bandages and--thank goodness--some aspirin which she dry swallowed. The shower was quiet except for the slow drip of water from the showerhead she had just used. She didn’t want to, but she started to cry. She pulled her glasses off, dropped them on the bench beside her, and covered her face with her hands, giving herself over to a choking sob. Crying made the headache that had subsided come flaring back, but once she started to cry, she couldn’t stop herself. 

She cried hard and long until she was hiccuping on her sobs. 

She felt so alone and knew of no one she could talk to. She didn’t feel the urge to run to Wyndham and when she thought she might be able to go to one of the other women doctors, she knew she wasn’t exactly friends with any of them. She might be able to go to Strange, but that felt like she was being weak, that she couldn’t handle this bullshit on her own. She didn’t want that. She was a doctor, she had fought her way through college and medical school, all through her residency to get here, by herself, on her own. It was hard for a woman in the medical community and running to Dr. Strange or even Dr. Arkkham made her look weak. She couldn’t afford to look weak in this job. She would be damned if she was going to let some jerk with a tiny penis drive her out of Arkham. But she felt so alone. She had no one to talk to, no one she felt comfortable with and she realized with a heavy breath, she wasn’t sure who she could trust… 

Except… 

Harleen sniffed, worrying at her bottom lip while tears continued to slowly leak from her eyes and roll down her cheeks while she thought. She had one person she could talk to, but it was unprofessional, really unprofessional. Harleen rubbed her fingers over her eyes. She knew Joker would listen to her, but she shouldn’t go running to a patient to tell them her problems, except she didn’t need to tell him exactly what happened; she could just walk by, see if he was awake. Maybe she would just talk to him. No one had come looking for her, so she had no emergencies to attend to, no patients needing her. Maybe just speaking a little wouldn’t be so bad… 

She wiped at her eyes, sniffing and stood up. She would head over to the cafeteria (it wasn’t closed) since there were always at least one or two people on staff during the night. No hot meals, but she could grab a couple of pudding cups again and just walk by his room. At this hour, Joker was probably asleep anyway, but if he wasn’t… 

Harleen picked up her glasses and slid them on. She was trembling a little, but she left the showers, holding her head up and walked out with a tentative plan in mind. 

* 

When she arrived at Joker’s cell, Harleen saw that he was lying on his side facing into the room. He had his eyes closed, one arm hanging off the bed. The light caressed his pale skin (she noticed since he wasn’t wearing a shirt) and his pants were low enough that his hip was partially exposed. Harleen stood looking through the small barred window, her heart sinking when she saw that he was asleep. She knew he probably would be, but she had held on to a glimmer of hope that maybe he would somehow be awake. 

She swallowed a lump in her throat and wiped at her eyes which rebelliously began to tear up. She sniffed again and began to turn to leave when she heard the Joker's voice come softly through the window. 

“Everything all right doc?” 

Harleen turned back to see Joker had pushed himself up on his elbow and was looking at her with a gentle smile on his lips. Some of his longish green hair had fallen over his brow to give him that sexy, rolled out of bed look. She felt a pang of attraction when she looked in on him, a delightful shiver that melted a little bit of her fear and shame at having come to a patient for some solace. Harleen sniffed again, reaching up to wipe at one eye with her fingers and shoved her glasses up at the same time. “I just thought I would see if you were awake. Um…” She held up a pudding cup and lightly shook it, her smile a little shy. “I brought pudding.” 

Joker smiled at her and noticed that something was off about her attitude. He sat up. “My office is open. Come on in Harley.” 

Harleen pulled her keys out and unlocked his door. She slipped inside, pulling the door shut. It was dark in his room, with only the small square of light leaking through the window in the door providing any illumination, but she could see Joker’s smile. He scooted over, patting the mattress beside him with a bright grin. “Have a seat.” 

Harleen hesitated only a moment before she came over and sat beside him. 

Joker was actually a little surprised she had accepted his invitation, but pleasantly surprised when she sat down close enough that he could reach out and stroke her cheek, or squeeze her knee if he wanted to. This close, he could tell she had taken a shower, not just because her hair was damp and beginning to curl as it dried, but he could smell the scent of soap--Ivory soap on her skin if he wasn’t mistaken--and that her clothing was different from what she had been wearing when she first stopped by to see him earlier this evening. 

He studied her profile for a few moments, noting the frown at the corners of her mouth, the splotchy paleness of her skin. What had happened he wondered. 

Harleen looked down at her hands, having sat down and dropped her elbows down against her thighs, holding a pudding cup between her hands; the other one was stuff in the pocket of her doctor’s coat. She looked too pale he thought. Her hair hung around her face in damp clumps, and the clothing wasn’t just different, but it looked a little too big for her, he thought. 

Joker frowned wondering why she had showered. Something must have happened, but judging by how she was acting, it wasn’t the usual patient mishap that had forced her to clean up. Still, he didn't ask; he would let her tell him in her own time if she wanted to. With her damp hair pushed back behind her ears, he could see that she had been crying, not just because she was sniffing occasionally, but he could see that her nose was a little red and swollen. What he could see of her eyes in the pale light from the hall was that they were bloodshot, the light blue of her irises standing out more noticeably. The light also caught the glimmer of teardrops on her eyelashes and her lips trembled slightly. So whatever had made her cry, it hadn’t been something small. Doctors were usually a hardy bunch, especially the shrinks here in the asylum, he thought (although he had broken a few.) It was clear to him that she had had a hard cry, a deep wrenching sobbing, or else her skin wouldn’t look blotchy, her nose swollen like that… 

He also noticed that her glasses were sitting a little off on her nose too, although not too bad. She had clearly fixed them, but if he were to guess, he would say that one of the legs had been adjusted. He frowned in thought. What could have happened to her? Already he was growing angry at whoever had made her cry. That sort of gut-wrenching crying was not what you did if you were simply physically hurt--that sort of crying was what happened when something or someone hurts another person’s soul. Joker clenched his jaw. He was going to murder whoever had made his doc cry. He didn’t really think about it too much, the feeling of wanting to hurt someone for Harley...he would just go with it. 

Usually, he killed for a laugh, or because it would get under Batman’s skin, occasionally for revenge, but he never killed anyone because they had hurt someone important to him because no one was important to Joker except Joker. And maybe Batman on occasion. He might kill someone if they hurt Batman, but that was only because Batman was his toy to break, not anyone else's. No, this was different, this burning feeling in his gut. He wanted to find whoever had hurt Harley and make them suffer for it. 

Joker turned his attention back to Harley, pushing his anger down. Right now, it was clear that Harley needed someone to talk to, or at least spend some time with, and she had chosen him. That made him smile. She didn’t look at him, but instead, Harleen’s attention was focused on the metal pudding cup held between her fingers. She slowly turned the cup around, not really seeing it. 

Joker resisted the urge to break the silence. She was upset and needed the company needed to be with someone she could...Trust? 

That was actually pretty foolish of her. 

The feelings she caused made him feel were so...weird. He realized at the same time he wanted her to trust him, not because he wanted to use it against her, but he wanted her to feel like she could talk to him. Whoa, he thought. That was new and definitely weird for him. 

He didn’t say anything. They simply sat next to each other in the quiet until Joker eased his arm up slowly, giving her time to see he was moving (which if she saw she him lift his arm, she didn’t acknowledge it) and gently placed his arm around her shoulders. He eased her closer, scooting himself a little until his hip touched hers. Harley didn’t move away; instead, to his surprise, Harley laid her head on his shoulder. 

Joker felt a rush of pleasure. He grinned and tightened his hold on her, not too much, just enough to give her a gentle hug. She smelled even better closer to him. He wanted to press his nose against her hair, against her skin. The very thought of that made his groin ache in a way he hadn’t felt before. He heard her sniffle and knew without looking that a fresh bout of tears had come over her, which only fueled his anger at whoever had hurt her. 

“Want to tell me what happened?” Joker asked in a soft voice, his face close. The urge to press his lips against her hair felt stronger. “You can tell me anything Harls,” he said in a soothing voice. When Joker put his arm around Harleen’s shoulders, she felt an overwhelming sense of pleasure at his touch. A warmth flowed into her, spreading out in delicious waves from the point where his hip pressed against her, from where his fingers pressed into her shoulders, the weight of his arm around her. His embrace was strong, yet gentle and when he pulled her closer, her cheek against his bare skin--which felt warm and soft--Harleen could smell the scent of him, masculine, clean, and erotic. She also felt overwhelmingly comforted. She knew this was wrong on so many levels, yet she couldn't help but enjoy his arm around her, the comfort of feeling his skin, hearing the beat of his heart. 

She felt the tears burning her eyes. Damn it, she hadn’t meant to cry. She thought she had had her cry and it was over, but now, with Joker holding, making her feel safe (odd as that seemed, part of her clinical mind said) as if she had someone who cared about her, a fresh bout of tears welled up and spilled over. Harleen sniffed and pulled off her glasses, which Joker reached over and gently took from her to set them aside. 

Joker didn't say anything else, but he put his other arm around her, holding her against him. He never held anyone unless it was in order to deliver a death blow, like the time he held that cop, pinning his arms, and kissed him right on the mouth! Joker had delivered a potent version of his special venom that was mixed with his lipstick through that kiss. That had been a hoot! The look of disgust on the cop’s face from being kissed followed by laughing as the venom seeped into his bloodstream, slowly killing the cop who laughed himself to death. It was a classic!! 

Harley surprised him though when she dropped the pudding cup to put her arms around his waist and held onto him, pressing her face against his chest. Joker blinked, startled by the embrace. He was startled by this entire encounter, because he really did want to hold her, to comfort her. His holding her and her hugging him back, it was all so strange. But the feeling of her arms around him was...more than just pleasant. No one had ever held him. No one, not once, not ever--at least not that he could remember. In fact, no one wanted to touch him at all if they could help it. The only “hugs” he had ever received had come from a straight jacket or when Batman was trying to stop him from doing something awful and he grabbed him to pin his arms at his side. Batman was also very fond of throat hugs; he loved to strangle Joker until he passed out. Then he would usually wake up to find himself handcuffed. It was all part of their little game they liked to play together; but Joker realized as he held Harley and she held him back, that he had never been embraced, never really hugged. Yet here she was, this doctor--his doctor--and she had just put her arms around him. He found that he liked the sensation, that he wanted her to keep hugging him. That though led his mind to wander to kissing. What would it be like to kiss her, something he had never done with anyone before either. 

They were both quiet, the only sound Harley sniffing occasionally. He could feel the tension in her as she struggled not to cry, and failed. He could feel the dampness of her cheek against his chest. Joker stroked her arm around his waist gently, while at the same time he caressed her back with his other hand, his fingers running slowly back and forth. 

“So what happened Harley?” he asked gently. “You can tell me. You can tell Old Mistah J anything you like. I promise it will never leave this room.” 

Harleen swallowed and took a breath, her face pressed against his warm skin, her arms tight around him. She knew she was breaking a long list of doctor/patient rules and regulations, that trusting a man known for manipulating every doctor he had ever been assigned, for twisting and turning the truth into lies was probably the single most idiotic thing she had ever contemplated doing; but she trusted him. She didn’t know why. Maybe it was her desperation for a friend, someone she could trust that was blinding her to the obvious, but she went with her gut and spoke softly. 

“It was…” She took a breath and Joker rubbed her back, laid his cheek against her hair, and gave her an encouraging squeeze. 

Harleen swallowed and whispered. “Someone attacked me. I don’t know who, I didn’t see them. They threw me to the floor...” 

Joker stiffened. The rage that came to life in his gut was hot and murderous, causing him to see red, but he asked in a calm voice, “Attacked you?” 

Harleen gave a little nod, tightening her hold on him. “Yes, I don’t know who, but they hit me from behind.” 

Joker frowned and bit his lip. The rage in him was like nothing he had felt before. He wanted to slowly crush the windpipe of whoever had laid a hand on her. He was fascinated by the intensity of the rage he felt. He knew he was attracted to the doc, but this protective possessiveness was new. He reached up to gingerly touch the back of her head only to have Harleen hiss in pain when his fingers brushed over the goose egg knot on the back of her head. Joker ground his teeth in anger. 

“Tell me exactly what happened,” Joker said, his voice tight. 

Righteous anger was something he had never felt before. Usually if he felt anger, it was because Batman had foiled a plan he had put a lot of effort in, spoiling the joke, or sometimes when he was forced to work with someone he didn’t like...which didn’t happen very often because if possible, he killed them so it would never happen again. Sometimes, he got angry when one of the few henchmen he allowed to work with him really fucked something up; then he would take a lot of pleasure in killing them. He really couldn’t abide stupidity, but this time his anger was hot, like a burning ember in his belly, or a volcano ready to explode. Someone was going to pay, and he was going to make it painful and slow. Righteous anger. Who knew, he thought. 

Harleen took a breath. “I don’t really know exactly what happened. I went by the nurses station, no one was there, which was strange even for this time of night. I saw a drop of blood, crouched down to see if it really was blood when someone grabbed me by the hair. Next thing I know, I’m on the floor, knocked out.” She sighed. “ I woke up only a few seconds later I think…I don’t think I was out very long...” 

She sighed. “Anyway, I took a shower before I came to see you. I never saw who did it.” 

Joker frowned at the top of her head as he whispered back. “They didn’t do anything else to you?” He trembled with rising fury and maybe a little bit of fear when he asked the question, but 

Harleen shook her head and whispered. “No. Nothing else.” 

Joker sighed with relief before he asked. “But you have an idea who did it, don’t you?” 

Harleen nodded again. Her voice was soft, but he could easily hear the venom in her tone. “Yes, Huntoon. I think it was Huntoon.” 

Joker frowned and stroked his hand down her arm, his cheek still pressed to her hair and with a murmur he replied “Huntoon…” 

She swallowed and wiped angrily at her eyes. “I just...I didn’t know who to talk to. I can’t go to Dr. Strange or Arkham, because that would make me look weak. I can’t afford to look weak, I worked too hard to get here. I thought about Wyndham...I mean Dr. Vane, but…” Her voice trailed off and she gave a shake of her head.”I just don’t...want to tell him. I just don’t think he would believe me, or he would try to make me talk to Dr. Strange or Arkham. Or worse, he might say something to Dr. Huntoon.” Her voice dropped to where Joker could barely hear her. 

Joker felt an intense flash of jealousy when Harley mentioned Dr. Vane. The flash of jealousy almost equaled the burning hatred he held for Dr. Huntoon, but he also felt a wash of pleasure. She had thought about Vane, but she hadn’t gone looking for him...she had instead come to him. Harley had chosen him as her safe harbor!! He felt a thrill wash over him. Harley had chosen him. He smirked. Wouldn’t that just make Dr. Vane feel bad. He wanted to laugh, but swallowed it. He didn’t want to upset Harley. 

“So what are you going to do?” he asked, reaching up to caress her hair back behind her ear. His fingers stroked over the top of her ear and Harley snuggled closer to him. 

Harleen murmured. “I don’t know.” 

Joker nodded, brushing his lips over her drying hair. “Mm...damned if you do, damned if you don’t, am I right?” He gave a soft laugh followed by a gentle squeeze. 

Harleen nodded against his chest, her voice soft. He could feel the warm whisper of her breath against his skin, which he found wildly erotic. “Yes,” she murmured. “I don’t know what I can do.” 

Joker pressed his lips together before he answered her, his arms held protectively around her because he wanted Harley to come to him again. He wanted her to feel like he was his only friend, her only comfort. He wanted her to himself and by making sure she felt more isolated he was guaranteed that she would come back to him. Besides, he was just agreeing with what she had already said. It wasn’t the nice thing to do, but now that he had had a taste of having Harley need him, he wanted to feel this way again. He needed her to need him like he now knew he needed her. It was selfish, but no one had ever said the Joker was a giving man. 

“Well, my advice--say nothing. You’re right. You go running to Strange, you'll be seen as a cry baby, a wimp, a woman who can’t hold her own. No, don’t go to Strange.” He stroked her arm as he spoke, his lips against her hair. “Arkham is useless. He’s a puppet who lets the strongest person tug on his strings as long as he gets his fix. Dr. Vane is a team player, he’ll always put his job and the asylum before you, and as for the other female doctors, they are all having to look out for their own asses. You may be one of them, but you aren’t really one of them Harley, you are just another obstacle in their way. Another woman trying to break the glass ceiling, which is what they all want to do. And on top of all that, you are pretty, young, and smart. They may pretend to be your friends, but believe me...they are hungry and if they sense you are weak, they will take you down like a pack of hyenas on a wounded gazelle.” He caressed her cheek with his fingertips, his eyes closed. “There are only a small handful of people someone can ever trust in life Harley. Life is harsh, it's a man eat man world out there where everyone is out for themselves. You have to find one or two people who will have your back, and I’m one of them. To paraphrase Socrates: I’ll always have your back sweets.” 

Harleen frowned as she listened to him. His voice rumbled in his chest as he spoke, his arms snug around her, holding her. She knew he was right. So far she had had to fight tooth and nail to prove herself and no one had come to her defense except herself. Her family wasn’t there for her; she was alone. Except for Joker. And now with Huntoon resorting to playing dirty, maybe she was truly alone, with no one to depend on but herself. She knew she was alone, but Joker’s words just confirmed to her what she was already feeling. 

It was her fight and her fight alone. 

She didn’t want to, but she sat up, breaking their hold on each other. She smiled, looking into Joker’s blue eyes. He didn’t look scary, just an incredibly handsome, older man, his green hair loose around his face, smiling at her. Harleen felt her heart twist in her chest. 

Joker grinned at her. “Still wanna have a pudding cup? Nothing like a late-night snack.” 

Harleen gigged and nodded. “Sure, and...thank you. I know that was very unprofessional of me and it won’t happen again…” 

“Nonsense doc, we’re friends, remember? In this place, you need a friend, that one person you can trust. You and me…” He pointed at his chest then at her. “We got each others back. You saved me from Dr. Huntoon, gave me a room, treated me like a person and not a monster. I owe you, and even if I didn’t, I like you Harls. I like you a lot.” He said the last bit in a softer voice, staring into her eyes in a way that made Harleen shiver with pleasure. 

Joker smiled again. “I don’t like a lot of people sweets. Actually now that I think about it, I only like one other person and that’s Batman because he is a riot; the man is hilarious! But you, I like you more than him. You’re something special sweets, something rare and wonderful.” He smiled and reached out to lay his hand on her knee. Harleen felt a shock of pleasure from his touch that deepened when he squeezed her knee while he spoke. “Not many people understand me. But you, you do. You’re the only one who has ever taken the time to talk to me like a person.” He frowned for a moment, gently massaging her knees while he spoke. “That means a lot to have you see me as a man and not just a monster.” He looked away for a moment before he seemed to come back to himself and winked at her. “Though I am a monster sweets, the worst of the worst.” 

Harleen smiled at him. “Monsters can have hearts and souls just like anyone.” She swallowed before she said, “A monster can love just like anyone else.” 

Joker stared at her for a moment. Something hung in the air between them. They could both feel it, as if something, at that moment, was tying them together while tension built between them. Her eyes darted from his to eyes his mouth, her eyes tracing the sensual line of his lips. She wanted to kiss him like she had never wanted to kiss anyone before. Her fingers itched with the need to grab him, to slide her fingers into his hair and pull him toward, her crushing herself against him, to have her hands sliding down his chest, to caress his stomach, her hands moving over his pale skin. She wanted to grasp his hips, to drag her fingers lower, sliding her hands into his pants, to cup him, to feel the hard heat of him mixed with the satin softness of his skin, to feel the brush of his erection on her lips… 

Would the Joker moan if she touched him? 

She really wanted to know. 

But Harleen didn’t move. 

Her thoughts, were a clear violation of the patient/doctor relationship she didn’t know if she was ready to cross, if ever; but she did want to kiss him. She couldn’t deny the building need. Joker’s eyes did the same, moving from staring into her eyes, eyes that he could now see clearly without glasses. They were a lovely shade of blue, light, like a clear spring morning sky. Harley’s eyes seemed to pull him in when he looked at her, gazing into those beautiful eyes. He wanted to grab her, wanted to lay her back on the bunk and ravage her, a pair of willing beasts. He wanted to tangle his fingers in those thick golden locks of hair, he wanted to drag his tongue over her to taste the salt on her skin, to feel the beat of her heart against his tongue, to feel her lips, her breasts pressed against him, her skin under his hands. He wanted to yank her hair back and drag his tongue along her throat, hear her make little moaning sounds of pleasure at his touch. He wanted to bury his mouth against her sex, to feel her fingers gripping his hair while he sucked on her, licked her, to feel her thighs pressed against his cheeks. He wanted to know what it would be like to slide into her, to feel her warm and wet around him, to squeeze her breasts while he thrust... 

Joker took a breath through his nose, steadying himself before he fell back into his familiar grin. “See, right there…” He released her knee and pointed at her. “That’s why I like you.” He laughed. 

“I’m here for you, doc. It’s just you and me, and the pudding. I do like chocolate pudding.” 

Harleen giggled softly, the building tension breaking as she reached down and grabbed the can of pudding she had dropped and handed it to him before pulling out the other can she had in her pocket. “I might have to start being careful or they are going to start charging me for the pudding if I keep stealing it.” 

Joker chuckled taking his offered pudding, then catching the spoon that she tossed to him. “I think Arkham can spare a can of pudding here and there for a couple of pals to share while they talk.” 

Harleen smiled and opened her can. She spoke softly without looking over at him, “Thank you.” 

Joker had opened his cup and was dipping his spoon into the chocolate, scooping up a big spoonful before he held out his spoon to her. Harleen did the same, holding out her spoon full of pudding and then lightly clinked their spoons together. 

“It’s you and me kid against the monsters of Arkham.” Joker grinned before sticking the spoon in his mouth and waggling his green eyebrows at her. 

Harleen giggled softly and took a bite of her pudding. 

* 

The rest of Harleen’s night was uneventful after she left Joker. 

She dragged herself to bed, only getting two hours of sleep before she was back on duty. Those two hours of sleep that she did get were plagued by images of the Joker, the way he looked at her, his hands on her, touching her, his voice wrapping around her… 

Her eyes had flown open seconds before her alarm went off, her body feeling hot and achy. She groaned and rubbed her eyes before she rolled out of bed and slept walk to her shower, stripping (she hadn’t bothered to change into her nightclothes having fallen asleep with the borrowed scrubs on) and stumbled into the shower. Her head still hurt, but not like it had. She took three aspirin when she got out of the shower, then hissed when he saw herself. The lump on her head was gone, but a nasty bruise showed in its place. It wasn’t a big bruise and with some strategic hair curling and makeup, she might be able to hide most of it. She felt the one on the back of her head was gone too, though her scalp felt tender to the touch. She grabbed her bottle of aspirin and decided to take them with her today. 

She got dressed, wearing a red and white patterned skirt with a long-sleeved circle necked sweater and her favorite knee-high boots. She slipped on her doctors' coat, dropped the aspirin into her pocket, and headed out. She planned to keep herself well supplied in coffee throughout the day. 

When she arrived downstairs, she was surprised to see Dr. Vane waiting for her at one of the tables, breakfast for two waiting with him. He waved the moment he saw her. Harleen couldn’t deny the man was attractive, but as she made her way closer to him, she realized that while she could appreciate his attractiveness, he sparkled nothing within her. She pressed her lips together on the thought. Here was a great man, handsome, he had a good job as a doctor which delivered its own status and she felt nothing for him. She felt a fire when Joker touched her though, a gnawing, burning need when she looked at him that Wyndham didn’t stir in her, and the more time she spent with Joker versus Wyndham, that feeling became stronger and clearer to her. Maybe she did have a problem... 

Harleen smiled as she walked toward him, her thoughts drifting to Joker and remembering the way his arms had felt wrapped around her, his hand on her knee, the way he looked at her, and the way he spoke to her. 

Harleen gave herself a mental shake, dismissing her intrusive thoughts and hurried over to Wyndham. 

He smiled, surprising her when he leaned over and lightly grabbed her shoulder, pulling her closer to plant a light kiss on her cheek. “You look tired. I have good strong black coffee right here…” 

He pointed at the cup of coffee. “And some eggs, toast and waffles, everything a beautiful doctor needs to get her through her day.” 

Harleen smiled with a soft blush on her cheeks. “Thank you Wyndham, though I don’t know if I can eat all of that.” 

“Nonsense, you were on the night shift and now you’re right back on for your day shift with what, maybe three hours…” He chuckled when he saw the look on Harleen’s face. “...or less sleep. You can afford to take several minutes and eat so your energy is up.” He smiled. “Don’t worry about it.” He pulled a chair out for her and motioned towards the chair. 

Harleen frowned for a moment before she gave in and sat down. The sight and smell of the food made her stomach grumble in response. 

Wyndham grinned at her. “See? Now eat.” 

“Thank you,” Harleen said as she picked up her fork. 

Wyndham shrugged. “It’s the least I can do for my favorite doctor.” 

Harleen gave him another smile, but she felt bad for not feeling anything toward him. As she ate, Harleen promised herself she was going to try a little harder to be more attracted to Wyndham because no matter how Joker made her feel, this was the man she should be having erotic dreams about, not her patient. 

But as she ate her breakfast, listening to Wyndham talk about this or that, her thoughts drifted back to Joker. 

* 

Harleen and Wyndham walked together to the morning staff meeting. It was raining again though not as hard as it had been. Still, the ground was becoming a soggy swamp in the growing grass. They headed up to the meeting, arriving after everyone was already seated, which left two seats, one next to Dr. Huntoon and another across the table next to Dr. Milo. Harleen was naturally thinking to take the seat next to Dr. Milo when the man called over Wyndham who went to speak with him, dropping into the empty chair beside him, which left the seat next to Dr. Huntoon. Harleen balled her hands into fists as she walked over to the last chair, her back ramrod straight and took her seat. Dr. Huntoon simply smirked at her. 

The meeting went along as usual, with Dr. Strange being the one to conduct the meeting while Dr. Arkham sat beside him looking ready to bug out at any moment. While Dr. Strange discussed some staff issues and the like, Dr. Huntoon slipped a folded piece of paper to Harleen. 

Harleen frowned as he slipped the paper to her, practically shoving it under her elbow where her arms were folded on the table. 

Harleen frowned and picked up the paper while Dr. Strange was talking and unfolded it. 

“What color are your panties?” 

Harleen’s jaw worked as she ground her teeth. She didn’t look at Huntoon, she didn’t need to. She knew the bastard was smirking at her. She crumpled the note up and left it lying on the table while rage burned in her belly. She remembered what Strange had said to her. There wasn’t anything she could do, as it was his word against hers, even with a fucking note. Furthermore, she didn’t want to run to Strange every time Huntoon did something as childish as passing lewd notes. 

She bit the inside of her cheek in frustration and anger, tears pricking the back of her eyes, but she would not cry. 

Instead, she let her mind wander, her focus shifting to Joker, his arms around her, his voice warm and seductive in her ear. The remembered time with Joker last night calmed her. 

She settled down, even though her hands remained balled into fists. Revenge or justice would have its place, she mused. 

* 

After the morning meeting, Harleen was asked by Dr. Strange if she would mind taking on a new patient that had been committed that morning. 

Harleen went down to the women's ward to meet the new patient, looking at her intake file as she walked swiftly down the halls. The woman’s name was Nettie Cochran and she had been committed for paranoid schizophrenia by her uncle, who was her only living relative according to the paperwork. 

Harleen arrived at the patient’s room after stopping by the nurses' station on this floor to pick up the key. She glanced inside before opening the door. The woman on the other side was slender, wearing only a hospital gown at the moment, her feet bare as she sat on her cot, her legs up and her arms wrapped around her legs as if she were trying to hold herself together. The woman’s long blonde looked like a tangle of straw as if she hadn’t brushed it in days, but Harleen could see that she had a pretty face. 

Harleen knocked lightly and the young woman looked up, her blue eyes wild looking. 

Harleen smiled. “I’m Dr. Quinzel, I’ve been assigned to your case. Is it all right if I come in and speak with you?” 

The woman on the other side nodded and Harleen opened the door. 

She smiled reassuringly at Nettie as she stepped in and shut the door behind her. “Do you mind if I sit?” Harleen asked indicating the one chair in the room. 

Nettie shrugged, so Harleen walked over and moved the chair closer to the bed and sat down. She opened her file to look inside, glancing up at Nettie. “So, your name is Nettie?” 

The woman frowned, looking over at Harleen giving Harleen the impression that Nettie was studying her. This close and watching her expression Harleen was sure that there was something else going on behind the other woman’s eyes. Harleen frowned. Something was off here. 

Nettie whispered with a glance at the door. “Can I trust you?” 

Harleen smiled. “Of course you can. I’m your doctor and I’m here to help you.” 

The woman glanced once more at the door before she dropped her feet to the floor and turned around to face Harleen. “Okay, I need someone on the inside and I’m going to take a chance here, but…” She put her hand out to Harleen who reached out and took the offered hand. “My name is Vicki Vale. I’m a reporter and I am not mad. With the help of my editor, I faked my symptoms and my identity to get in here for a story.” 

Harleen blinked in surprise. “Okay, say I believe you...why would you do that?” 

Nettie...or Vicki grinned. “A story. I’m hoping to do an investigative story not just into the workings of a place like Arkham, but from the inside perspective. You know, to get the real story about this place, the doctors, the staff, how the patients are treated--the real story. There are all sorts of stories about Arkham Asylum. Anyone who's grown up in Gotham knows about this place, but I want the real story, I want to know what Arkham is really like. And…” She grinned. “Since I heard the Joker was recently committed, I’m hoping to get a real scoop on him, maybe actually get to talk to him, to get to know the man behind the smile, so to speak.” 

Harleen frowned listening to the woman as she talked excitedly about her plan. The idea of her investigating the asylum for a story didn’t really bother her. In fact, Harleen he thought that might be a way for her to get back at Huntoon, expose the misogynist asshole for the jerk he was, but the thought of Vicki, if that really was her name and this wasn’t some delusional ruse (but looking at her Harleen was inclined to believe Vicki), that part of Vicki’s plan filled Harleen with an unreasonable flash of jealousy. 

Joker was hers. He was her patient, her...her… 

Harleen frowned again. She didn’t know why she was acting so jealous, but she felt it, viciously jealous of anyone who wanted to intrude on her patient, her Joker. But, if she was Vicki’s contact, her helper in the asylum, she could control whether Vicki got anywhere near Joker, and she would control it. She might let Vicki talk to him, but it would be at her discretion, under her control, and if 

Vicki did anything she didn’t like...well...let’s see who else would believe her story. 

Harleen blinked, shocked at her own unsavory thought brought on by her jealousy. 

She glanced up, but Vicki was still talking excitedly, having not noticed the change in Harleen’s expression. “... and I need someone I can trust to help me out while I’m on the inside. When I was being committed, I overhead one of the nurses saying that Dr. Strange was going to want a Dr. Quinzel to take my case because you were the newest doctor on staff and didn’t have a lot of regular patients so I thought, you’re a woman, new, and didn’t have as much invested into the asylum so...will you help me?” 

Harleen smiled, decided to entertain the idea this person was who she claimed. If not, Harleen would help her through her delusion, one way or another. “Sure Miss Vale, I would be happy to help you.”


	9. Against the Wall

The next few days were quiet. 

Harleen had a couple of sessions with Joker, which were mostly just the two of them talking and, dare she imagine, flirting? Joker was charming as always, telling her stories about working in a circus or during another session, he drew her portrait with the crayons she brought him (a picture the Joker had in his room now, taped to the wall.) She felt that the connection she was developing with Joker was intensifying, becoming stronger. She tried to dismiss her feelings of attraction to him, tried to ignore them, but at night, when she slept, Joker dominated her dreams. She dreamt of running her fingers along his back, her lips by his ear, the heat of his body, the scent of his hair brushing against her cheek. 

She had awakened in need of a very cold shower. 

During these last couple of days Harleen was asked to consult on another patient by Dr. Vane, a Mr. James Gordon Jr., the son of Gotham’s police commissioner. His was an interesting case Harleen thought, a nurture versus nature case since James Gordon Jr. was a psychopathic killer and his father was, well, the police commissioner. Harleen had read in his file that he had a sister as well who had shown none of the same murderous tendencies as her younger brother. Wyndham wanted Harleen to conduct a few sessions with him in order to give her opinion on how Vane should move forward in his treatment for Mr. Gordon Jr. She was flattered, but Harleen suspected Wyndham was doing this for more personal reasons. She didn’t say anything, or confront him about it, not sure what she could say without proof of her suspicions. 

How dare you give me yet another opportunity to prove I’m a good doctor? That sounded stupid, so Harleen said nothing because it was another chance to prove that she was indeed a good doctor and she was going to make it. 

* 

This morning when Harleen got up to start her day, she looked out the window, sensing that something was different. She pulled her curtain aside with a gasp of delight. 

It had started to snow. 

The other thing that made today different was that it was Thanksgiving. She had actually forgotten about the holiday since it wasn’t that big of a day for her. There was no going home for the holidays for her, even if she had wanted to, which she didn’t. She thought about watching the parade on television for a bit while she dressed, then changed her mind. Today was like any other day for her and she had work to do. 

Harleen wore a turtleneck sweater dress with long sleeves in black, with her knee-length boots. The dress was a little short, showing off more of her legs than was strictly proper for a doctor, but with her doctor’s coat over the top and the boots it wasn’t very noticeable, at least she hoped not. She knew Joker liked it when she wore dresses, which was the subconscious reason she wore a dress...at least that was what she was trying to tell herself. (Then again, if it were subconscious, she wouldn’t be aware of it, which meant she had consciously chosen the dress. She rolled her eyes at herself.) She wore her hair down except for the small locks of hair at her temples that were pulled back and held by barrettes. She thought she looked a little nicer than usual as she pushed her glasses up her nose and hurried downstairs. 

Harleen had gotten ready with enough time left over that she planned to enjoy a hot breakfast and some coffee before she started her shift, instead of grabbing it on the run like she usually did. She had been eating breakfast with Wyndham every morning. He was always waiting for her with her breakfast ready for her along with her coffee. The ritual was nice. 

This morning was no exception. 

Wyndham waved when he saw her. “Good morning! Happy Thanksgiving.” 

Harleen giggled. “Morning and Happy Thanksgiving to you too.” 

Wyndham smiled pulling out a chair for Harleen which she slid into with a smile. This morning's breakfast was waffles and bacon. 

Harleen looked down at her food in surprise. “Waffles?” 

Wyndham shrugged. “Yeah, the cook staff get a little excited about Thanksgiving and like to make a special breakfast along with the turkey and stuffing…” He moved his hand around in a circle. “...thing. Anyway, I was wondering if you would like to have a special dinner with me tonight, not in the cafeteria, by candlelight…” 

“But I don’t…” Harleen began when Wyndham held up a hand. 

“I know you don’t have any days off yet, I meant right here on the grounds. I mean a dinner here, just not in the cafeteria.” 

Harleen looked intrigued. “I...guess so.” 

Wyndham grinned happily. “Great, I’ll come by your office around seven tonight, okay?” 

Harleen nodded. “Okay.” 

* 

The morning meeting was much the same as usual, though Harleen did notice a couple of doctors were missing, the lucky bastards who had the time and family with whom to spend the holiday somewhere other than Arkham. Dr. Huntoon, of course, had to make some snotty remarks about their fellow doctors’ absences, clearly angry that anyone was off having a nice time. If Huntoon had any family they probably were thankful the ass wasn’t going home for the holiday. he nice part of Dr. Huntoon spending the majority of his time during the meeting having a fit about the two doctors that were missing from the meeting was that he didn’t have time to harass her. There were no notes passed to her, no leering looks, or anything else that would make Harleen uncomfortable. Huntoon’s full attention was on his complaining about the missing doctors. 

Harleen smiled. She guessed she had something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving after all. 

* 

The first part of Harleen’s morning was devoted to paperwork, then a session with Miss Vale--or, as she was going by in the asylum, Miss Nellie Cochran--which hadn’t really gone anywhere. Vale mostly asked some simple questions about the running of the asylum, things she could have easily found out herself, but then the young woman had started asking questions about Joker. 

“Is it true that you’re the Joker’s doctor?” Vicki asked with excitement sitting up from the couch in Harleen’s office where she had been lying down like a regular patient. 

Harleen glanced up from the notes she had been taking, mostly just doodling Joker’s name. “What? Who told you that?” 

Vicki grinned, her hands balled into fists on her lap. “One of the orderlies. So, is it true?” 

Harleen pressed her lips together. She thought about not answering, but that was stupid she realized since Vicki already knew that she was indeed Joker’s doctor. So, she nodded. 

“Why didn’t you tell me!” Vicki gasped with excitement. 

Harleen sighed. “Because I am his doctor, that’s why. I won’t answer any questions about him or his treatment. Doctor-patient confidentiality.” 

Vicki frowned. “Oh, not even one question? Like, what’s he like?” 

Harleen sighed pinching the bridge of her nose. “He’s....” She paused before she answered. “He’s very intelligent and intense.” 

“He’s never attacked you or anything like that?” Vicki asked with wide eyes. 

“No, no he hasn’t,” Harleen said tightly as a seed of jealousy in her gut began to burn. 

“Does he ever mix with the regular population?” Vicki sat up straighter. 

“No, no he doesn’t. Joker is slowly earning privileges for his good behavior…” Harleen began, but Vicki interrupted her. 

“So he could mix with the general population eventually…” 

Harleen frowned. “I don’t know…” 

“But you’re his doctor, you could make that happen right?” Vicki asked staring at Harleen. 

Harleen narrowed her eyes. “Perhaps, but this is the Joker. I’m not sure when, if ever, he’ll be with the general population.” 

Vicki smiled at her. “But you could do it right?” she repeated. “Gosh if I could get a one on one interview with the Joker, can you imagine! I mean, there have been plenty of articles about him, but a one on one! Never!! That would totally make my career! Would you please think about it?” Vicki asked with a pleading expression that Harleen wanted to smack off her face. 

“Well, I think that is probably enough for today…” Harleen stood up. 

Vicki bounced to her feet. “This is so great! God I can’t wait to meet him...the Joker.” She giggled. “I can’t believe how lucky I was to get you as my doctor Dr. Quinzel! I knew the moment I saw you that my fortune was set...my reporter instincts never let me down!” 

Harleen rolled her eyes as she escorted Vicki out of her office. 

* 

Half an hour later Harleen heard the knock on her office door telling her that the guards had arrived with Joker. 

Harleen smiled, her heart pounding. “Open.” 

Cash opened the door, pushing Joker in ahead of him. Joker, strapped up tight in his straightjacket, stumbled a bit, though he was grinning. His blue eyes landed on Harleen and he winked at her before another guard that Harleen didn’t recognize came in and yanked Joker toward the chair on the other side of Harleen’s desk. 

“Happy Thanksgiving Dr. Quinzel,” Cash said as he walked over next to the other guard putting a hand on Joker’s shoulder. Joker looked up at Cash with a bright grin on his pale face. 

“Happy Thanksgiving to you too Cash,” Harleen said with a small smile. 

Cash tilted his head a little. “You doing okay doc?” 

Harleen, who had turned her attention to some papers on her desk trying to find something to do with her hands instead of staring at Joker, looked up with a blink at Cash again. 

“I’m fine Cash, why do you ask?” Harleen smiled innocently. 

“I don’t know. You just looked a little…” Cash shrugged. “ Nevermind. It’s nothing.” 

Joker chimed in. “I'm doing great too by the way! Fit as a fiddle, ready to go. ” He wiggled in his chair. “Looking forward to my turkey dinner tonight! Nothing like carving up a corpse!” 

Cash shot Joker a dirty look, but otherwise ignored him. The other guard, a young man who had his hands on Joker’s shoulders, looked nervous when he came in with Joker, and somehow looked more nervous when Joker spoke. Harleen wanted to laugh because she was sure the clown had talked the entire way to her office, the poor young man must have been shaking like a leaf! 

“You gonna be okay?” Cash asked. He asked every time he brought Joker in. It was nice she supposed but she thought, also slightly annoying. 

Joker chuckled. “Of course she’s gonna be all right Cash darling. Harley and I have a great rapport!! She’s Ginger Rogers to my Fred Astaire! I live for these sessions with her, don’t you know that! I got crayons last time I was here!!” Joker giggled and wiggled happily in his straightjacket, which made the young guard jump a foot. “I’m hoping for bubblegum this time!” 

Cash gave Joker another dirty look, but nodded. “All right doc, just call if you need anything. We’ll be right outside.” 

“Thank you.” Harleen smiled, wondering if she and Cash would go through this same routine every time. 

Cash shot Joker a stern look before he motioned the other guard out. The two men stepped out, Cash bringing the door close, his eyes narrowed at Joker. Joker grinned back at him, a smile that showed off his perfect teeth, followed by a saucy wink that made Cash pale. 

Joker frowned in thought, tilting his head. “You know, I don’t think he likes me much.” 

Harleen giggled softly, coming around to unbuckle his straightjacket. “I think he’s just scared of you.” 

Joker pouted, but his eyes widened just a little when he saw that Harley was wearing a dress. He loved it when she wore dresses; the fuel for his dreams was fantastic. He could imagine her on her desk, the dress pushed up to her hips. Joker licked his lips at the thought while Harleen worked on the straps at the back of his jacket. 

Joker glanced over his shoulder at her. “Cash is scared of little old me? But I’m as harmless as a junebug. You think I’m harmless don’t you Harls?” 

“I’m sure you are,” Harleen said with a chuckle as she squatted behind him, her fingers brushing the back of his legs as she undid the buckle between his legs. 

Joker bit down on his bottom lip. He became quiet, focusing on her, the feel of her behind him, the brush of her fingers as she worked the straps, the feel of her fingers through the fabric of his pants; then, the closeness of her as she gently slide the straightjacket off his shoulders from behind him. She was so close he could feel the tickle of her breath against his back. Joker closed his eyes. He wanted to turn around to grab her and pull her body against his, to feel her body heat against his, to bury his face against her neck, to smell her skin, and her hair. The thought of pushing her up against the wall, his hands sliding under her dress, pushing that dress up, his thumbs hooking around her panties... 

Harleen came back around in front of him, taking the jacket. “There--better?” 

Joker brought his thoughts back to the present and stretched his arms over his head. “Much, thanks dock.” 

Harleen looked away from his bare chest and slender, muscled arms as she took her seat behind the desk. Joker bent to the side, stretching some more while Harleen pressed her lips together watching him. He bent down to touch his toes before he flopped back onto the seat, his long limbed figure lay across the chair like a puppet, all lose limbs, boneless. Her gaze snaked down over his bare torso down lower...lower… 

Harleen swallowed, her eyes snapping back up to his. 

“Aren’t you cold?” she asked. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear a shirt.” 

Joker made a face. “This cheap fabric rubs against my skin, makes me itch. I only wear the pants because people around here get really uptight when you run around with your dick out. I don’t know why, I mean I have a really nice dick, if I say so myself.” He grinned impishly at her. 

Harleen chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand. “Well, it is against social norms to run around naked.” 

Joker made another face. “Social norms, blah. It used to be a social norm for women to wear long skirts and not show their legs.” He looked down pointedly at where her legs would be behind her desk with a smirk. “That one changed for the better.” 

Harleen felt a blush color her cheeks. “So, what would you like to talk about today? I thought we might discuss things that you’re thankful for, since it is Thanksgiving.” 

Joker grinned and crossed his legs, putting his hands behind his head. “What am I thankful for? Hmm...that is a good question. What about you doc--what are you thankful for?” 

Harleen frowned in thought. “Mm...I’m thankful for this job, for the chance to prove myself as a doctor.” 

Joker smiled at her. “Are you? Thankful for me?” He waggled his eyebrows at her causing Harleen to giggle. 

“Yes, I suppose I am. You are my...big break,” she said softly. “You are the case that no one wanted.” 

Joker sat up, smiling brightly. “Ooh, I’ve never been anyone's big break!” 

Harleen smiled. “Well, if I were to cure you…” 

Joker smiled at her as he leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees and laced his fingers together. “Cure me, eh?” He studied her face and a small smile tugged at his lips. “So what would that accomplish Harley? Curing me? Will it help all the people I’ve killed?” 

Harleen looked pale, her eyes wide. Joker laughed. “You are so good, so sweet, and sincere. You really believe you can fix me, but what if I told you I’m not broken.” 

“I didn't mean you were broken…” Harleen started, but Joker only laughed. “Didn't you? I suppose I am broken by society's standards, but what if I told you I was sane, just more sane than anyone else because I see the world as it really is.” Joker quirked a brow at her. “What if I told you that the rest of you are blind, pretending that the world is a good place, that all the monsters under the beds are just shadows, that if you shine a bright enough light on them the monsters simply go away. But that isn’t true. The monsters are living inside us, inside everyone, just waiting to break free.” Joker scooted his chair closer and Harleen stared at him, her blue eyes mesmerized with him behind her glasses. He placed his hands palms down on her desk and leaned closer to her. 

“Tell me Harley, haven’t you ever just wanted to break free? To hurt someone who hurt you...don’t you want Dr. Huntoon to hurt because he doesn’t see you as an equal, because he tried to take me from you…” Joker’s voice was smooth and seductive. 

Harleen sucked her bottom lip. “I guess, but everyone has moments like that where they wished they could do something...violent, to hold power, but…” 

Joker chuckle was low and soft. “What prevents you from acting out, doc? Is it your conscience or is it really the punishment that scares you, how society would see you if you acted on your desires? Or maybe it’s the training, the constraints of a society that prevent you from acting on your needs and your desires?” Joker gave a small nod to her. “I’m not just talking about violent impulses Harley, but all of them, even sexual ones. Isn’t it because society has taught you that those impulses are bad? But are they, are they really bad? Or maybe you don’t know how to act for yourself anymore? A trained little girl who does no wrong. The perfect little princess who just shoved all those violent, sexual feelings down low and acts the part of the good girl hoping that someday, someone will notice how good she is and give her a chance?” Joker cooed softly. “Or maybe you’re waiting for that prince to come in and sweep you off your feet, to take all your agency away from you so you don’t have to be your own person anymore? So little Harley doesn’t have to think for herself anymore?” 

Harleen swallowed, staring into his blue eyes before dropping her gaze. Part of her was angry at him, furious because he was making her feel small and weak, which made her want to lash out at him; but another part of her agreed with him. She sometimes felt like a trained monkey, doing what was expected of her, not what she wanted to do. Why should she not act out? Why shouldn’t she teach Huntoon a lesson? He thought of her as weak, an object, worth nothing more than sex and sitting at home washing dishes. He attacked her, or had someone attack her, and what would happen to him? Nothing! He could treat her like shit and no one would care because he was a man and she was a hysterical woman. Or Strange, who told her basically to suck it up, it was her word against Huntoon’s and her word was worthless. Or all the people who had treated her like shit in college, in medical school because she was a woman, a blonde bimbo airhead who couldn’t possibly be smart enough to go to medical school. 

Harleen trembled a little. What about sex too. A woman still wasn't seen as a sexual being and this was the 1970’s! If she was sexually active she would be labeled a whore, if she was not, she would be called frigid! There was no right way for her to be unless she was married with children, a happy little homemaker! 

Harleen felt all these conflicting emotions stirring inside her. She wanted to tell him he was wrong, that people were inherently good, but she wasn’t sure she actually believed that. She worked with the mentally ill, she saw what society did to people who were different, who didn’t follow the rules set in place by the powerful and enforced by the ignorant. She wanted to tell him that women had more opportunities, more rights in this decade, but she knew she didn’t make as much as the male doctors. Harleen knew no matter how hard she worked, how she followed the rules… 

Nothing would change. Not really. 

Harleen looked up when Joker reached out and laid his fingers against her hand that rested on the desk. “Don't you sometimes wish you could just act out and do what you really want?” he asked quietly. “Find out who you really are?” 

Harleen pressed her lips together a moment before she responded. “I think we all do.” 

Joker smiled and sat back down. Harleen felt the loss of his touch, warmth suddenly replaced by a chill. “Yes, but only a few--very few of us--are free enough, sane enough to act out on those feelings, to be who we really are, to be our true selves.” 

Harleen swallowed again, wishing she had some water, her throat suddenly dry. “And that is what you are, what you do? You are your true self?” 

Joker grinned winking at her. “Yup.” 

“But you have no memory of who you were in the past, so how do you know…” Harleen started, but Joker interrupted her. 

“But see? That is what makes it so much easier, I’m not burdened with all those…” He fluttered a hand around. “...memories. Memories are deceitful, horrible things anyway. They can be sweet and soft, then turn dark and ugly. No sorry childhood, no crappy school memories, no ties to bind me to a past that can’t be changed. Who needs them?” He pursed his lips, then smiled brightly. “So, you having Thanksgiving dinner with family tonight?” 

Harleen felt like she was in a car that had braked hard enough that she was slammed forward at the sudden change of topic that she answered honestly without thinking. 

“Ah, no. Wyndham invited me to a private candlelight dinner tonight here on the grounds, just the two of us.” 

Joker went very still, a frown tugging at his lips. “He did?” 

She nodded, biting her bottom lip. The look in Joker’s eyes went flat. The quiet stretched on for a little bit until Joker once more switched gears. “Can I make a request Harley?” 

Harleen nodded. “Yes, of course.” 

“Could I have a record player? I would love to listen to some music...I miss getting to hear music. Have I been good enough for a record player?” He looked at her pleadingly, batting his eyelashes comically at her. 

Harleen felt her heart skip a beat while at the same time a smile played across her lips at his antics which she found endearing, as well as funny. “Ah, yes, yes of course. I’ll take care of it right away.” She smiled and shook her head. 

Joker grinned at her. “Thank you...and I have one more request.” 

Harleen nodded. “Yes.” 

“Will you come see me tonight, after your date? I would like to eat my Thanksgiving meal with you because you are the one thing I’m thankful for Harley. If it wasn’t for you, I would be rotting in that cage....is that too much to ask, doc? I don't want to ruin your date, but...” Joker looked at her pleadingly. “...it would mean the world to me.” His smile was sincere and his blue eyed gaze lingered on her with a hopeful expression. 

“It's not a date,” she corrected, but nodded. “Yes. Although it might be very late. Still, I could get the cafeteria to set two plates of food aside in one of the refrigerators...” 

“I don’t mind waiting.” Joker smiled. “Spending time with you is always worth the wait Harley.” 

* 

The first thing Harleen did after her session with Joker was go in search of a record player. She found one, a small portable player in one of the storage closets with the help of Dr. Andrade, Arkham’s music therapy professional. She also discovered several old records for the record player. Harleen wasn’t sure of Joker’s taste so she grabbed a handful of records; Doris Day, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, and Perry Como, as well as a few more recent records by The Carpenters and Olivia Newton-John. Dr. Andrade told her they were careful not to have any music that might upset the patients. 

When Harleen brought the player and records to Joker’s room, Joker gasped and danced around his room like a teenage girl in his excitement. 

“Oooh, thank you, thank you Harley!! I knew you wouldn’t let me down!” Joker cooed, clapping his hands with glee. 

Harleen chuckled and blushed. “Well, I’m glad you’re happy. We don’t have a lot of records so I just grabbed you a handful. The batteries are fresh, so it should last you a while before I’ll need to replace them…” 

Joker grinned happily at her. “These are perfect Harls, just perfect. Thank you.” He surprised her by reaching out and brushing his fingertips along her jaw. “Just like you,” he whispered. 

Harleen swallowed nervously, blushing. “Well...aah, enjoy your records…” 

“Are you coming back tonight?” Joker asked with an earnest tone. 

Harleen had turned toward his door and stopped. She looked over her shoulder at him. Joker stared back at her his gaze pleading. “Yes, yes I’ll be back and I’ll bring you a late supper, all right?” 

Joker clapped again. “Huzzah!!” 

Harleen laughed, blushing as she left his room. 

Harleen went to the cafeteria to arrange to have two Thanksgiving meals set aside that she could reheat in the microwave--a wonderful invention, Harleen thought--for later. The older woman who was the head of the cafeteria staff gave her a funny look when Harleen had said the meals were for Joker, but she made no comment. As far as the head cook was concerned, the doctors were as crazy as the patients they treated here. 

* 

The rest of Harleen’s day after her session with Joker was uneventful. It was as if everyone decided that the holiday was a good time to be calm, though she supposed it might also be the effect of the turkey dinner that was served at lunch and dinner time making everyone sleepy and docile. 

She was able to complete the paperwork she needed to go through during the last part of her day. She was so intent on her work and not thinking about Joker, or trying not to think about him, that when there was a knock at her door, she nearly jumped a foot. 

Harleen yelped, dropping her pen as her office door opened a crack and she saw Wyndham smiling at her. “Hey, ready for dinner?” 

Harleen put a hand to her chest. “Oh god, you scared me.” 

Wyndham came in, closing the door behind him. “I’m sorry, didn’t mean to scare you, but...are you ready?” 

Harleen started to say she wasn’t very hungry, but her stomach took that opportunity to rumble audibly. 

She giggled with embarrassment. “Ah, yes.” 

Wyndham smiled at her and reached out for her hand. Harleen hesitated only a second before putting her hand in his and letting Wyndham lead her around her desk. He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. 

“Now, let’s go have a proper Thanksgiving dinner,” he said with a smile. 

* 

Wyndham lead her through the asylum into a room that looked to be one of the unused classrooms. Inside, Wyndham had set up a table in the middle of the room with a red tablecloth, place settings for two (Harleen recognized the dinnerware from the cafeteria), and candles. She had no idea where Wyndham had gotten the candles from, maybe the chapel that was on the grounds, but dozens of them had been placed throughout the room, their warm candlelight glow gave the room a romantic cast. 

On the table between the plates was a large covered platter. 

Wyndham moved to take Harleen’s doctor's coat off of her shoulders and hang it on the back of one of the chairs before he pulled the chair out of her. 

He hurried over to his own seat, leaning over to pull the cover off the platter to reveal several slices of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, carrots, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and for dessert, two slices of pecan pie. 

“Tada!!” Wyndham grinned. “A traditional Thanksgiving dinner, or as close as two doctors in an asylum can get.” He laughed. 

Harleen chuckled with a nod. “Well, it looks better than I thought it would.” 

Wyndham smiled, clearly pleased with himself. “Like I said, the cook staff enjoy fixing Thanksgiving dinner. Shall I prepare your plate?” 

Harleen handed her plate to him. “Thank you.” 

Wyndham loaded both their plates up with food then further surprised her by pulling a bottle of wine out from under the table. “Also, tada! I had a bottle of this…” He looked at the bottle. “...as a gift from Dr. Leland on my birthday last year. I didn’t have any reason to open it until now, not sure how good it is, but I guess we’ll find out.” He smiled across the table at her as he pulled the cork out, having opened the wine earlier. He leaned over and poured some of the dark red liquid into her glass. (They didn’t have wine glasses, just regular water glasses from the cafeteria.) 

“Shall we make a toast?” Wyndham asked, picking up his glass once he had filled it. 

Harleen smiled and held up her glass. “To what?” 

Wyndham smiled at her. “To new friends and bright futures.” 

Harleen smiled back at him. “To new friends and bright futures.” 

Harleen held her glass up to clink against Wyndham’s glass before she took a sip of the dark red wine. It wasn’t the best wine--not that she had a great deal of knowledge about wines--but it had that sharp alcohol taste of the cheap wines she drank sometimes in college, the kind that came in a box. 

Wyndham dug into his meal with a wink at her that Harleen found a little annoying. She wasn’t sure why she found that annoying, but she dug into her own meal. It was decent, much better than she thought, though she ate sparingly since she knew she was going to eat again with Joker later tonight. 

Wyndham looked over at her stirring his fork around his potatoes. “So, how is your work with Joker going?” 

Harleen sipped her wine. “Actually, everything is going well. He’s being calm, cooperative…” She shrugged. “No problems.” 

Wyndham nodded smiling slightly. “I’m impressed. Usually Joker has done something violent by now. Maybe you are a good influence on him...or he’s waiting.” 

Harleen frowned, glancing sharply at Wyndham. “What do you mean waiting?” 

Wyndham shrugged. “I mean, he’s a violent psychopath. I just meant that maybe he’s playing a game with you.” 

Harleen narrowed her eyes. “Are you implying that I’m not making any progress with him, that I’m doomed to fail? That I’m being fooled by him?” 

Wyndham sighed. “No...I mean, yes.” He took a large gulp of his wine before he spoke again. “I’m sorry. I didn't mean to imply that you weren’t a good doctor or anything. I just meant, this is the Joker, he’s taken out doctors better than you and…” 

Harleen hissed, dropping her fork down with a loud clang. “Better than me? So I’m not making progress with him is what you’re saying, that the Joker is just fooling around with me, making me feel like I'm making progress because there are better doctors than me who’ve failed, so I couldn’t possibly be making any progress at all.” 

“I just meant I’m worried about you--he’s dangerous, and probably can’t be cured,” Wyndham added with a frown. 

Harleen picked up her wine and took a large swallow before she answered. “Well, you have a funny way of saying you’re worried for me.” 

Wyndham sighed. “I’m sorry Harleen.” He looked down at the table, then back at her. “I...ah was going to ask you later, but I brought a tape player and I thought maybe we could have a dance?” 

Harleen frowned, worrying at her bottom lip before she sighed and looked up at him. “Sure, why not.” 

Wyndham grinned and stood up. The tape player was leaning against the wall where she hadn’t noticed it. He picked it up and placed it on the table. He checked to make sure the cassette tape was in it before he hit play. “You Make Me Feel Brand New” by the Stylistics began to play. Wyndham came over and took Harleen’s hand, pulling her to her feet and into his arms. He wrapped his hands around her, holding her just at her ribs. Harleen rested her hands on his shoulders keeping a little distance between them, their bodies not touching while Wyndham moved her around the room in a broad circle to the music in that sort of awkward way that high schoolers slow danced to at a school prom. 

Harleen felt a little stiff, like she was on a date with her cousin rather than a handsome doctor who she should be feeling attracted to. Instead, she wasn’t feeling anything except that she would rather be somewhere else. She frowned while they danced. She wasn’t really sure why she wasn’t feeling anything. Wyndham was perfect in theory, everything she had hoped for. He was handsome, a doctor with a steady job, just the sort of guy her mother always told her she wanted, but Harleen found she wasn’t feeling anything, anything at all other than anxious to leave. 

Wyndham moved her around and suddenly pressed her up against the wall, catching Harleen by surprise since she hadn’t really been paying attention to what they were doing. Her thoughts drifted to how long she had until she could politely leave. Maybe she was just tired she wondered. Maybe that's why she was preoccupied with wanting to leave, she thought when Wyndham pressed her up against the wall, his body flush with hers. 

Harleen made a small squeak of surprise when Wyndham crushed his mouth again hers in the next instant. Her eyes were wide while Wyndham pressed his mouth against her lips, his tongue sliding out to poke at her mouth, seeking entry, which Harleen refused to respond to, her mouth firmly closed, her fingers digging into his shoulders as panic set in. 

After a few seconds, Wyndham pulled back and frowned looking at her confused. “Harleen, are you all right?” 

Harleen smiled awkwardly. “Sorry, ah...you know just ate, so my mouth feels….you know, I need to brush my teeth.” She smiled and shrugged, looking slightly pale. 

Wyndham frowned, then whispered at the same time reaching up to stroke her face. “I’m sorry, you’re right, I should have thought about that...brought mints or something ...” He brushed his nose against hers, leaning in close, his hands sliding up to the sides of her breasts. Harleen stiffened. She felt trapped not sure what to do, but Wyndham simply kissed her closed mouth. 

“Maybe we could do this again? Next time I’ll bring mints.” Wyndham grinned at her. 

Harleen nodded. “Yeah, that sounds nice. I should probably go...tired…” She shrugged and yawned. “Long day.” 

Wyndham nodded. “I understand, me too. I’m sorry about arguing earlier. Next time, no talk about work.” 

“That sounds good,” Harleen whispered as she grabbed her coat. 

* 

Harleen tried her best not to run, but she walked quickly when she left Wyndham. She didn’t feel disgusted by him, just… 

She felt nothing. 

That thought made her frown. She wasn’t sure why she didn’t feel anything. She went over it again; he was handsome, nice, a doctor. Heck he had treated her as an equal--most of the time--but that spark of attraction was muted, flat. 

Harleen sighed, dismissing her thoughts and headed to pick up dinner for Joker. 

* 

The halls of the asylum were empty. With it being the holiday, no one was keen to work and the turkey dinner had lulled most of the patients asleep, leaving the asylum quiet. When she arrived carrying a tray with two reheated dinners (she had used another set of plates over the top of each dinner to act as a cover hoping the meals would remain hot until she arrived at her destination), she heard the sounds of Perry Como’s voice drift down the hall. 

“Watching the night go by 

Wishing that you could be 

Watching the night with me 

Into the night I cry…” 

* 

She stopped outside his door and looked inside, the light from the hall illuminating him enough that she could her patient. Joker was standing in the middle of his room, his arms wrapped around his bare torso as he swayed back and forth to the song, his eyes closed. His green hair flopped across his forehead, his face settled into relaxed lines making him look younger, more innocent. Harleen caught her bottom lip between her teeth, watching him for a moment, but the wasn’t feeling any lighter. She turned away from the door and eased the tray to the floor before she knocked against the door. 

Joker opened his eyes and saw Harley peeking in. 

Harleen smiled. “I have dinner.” 

Joker chuckled. “Come on in doc.” 

The music continued the play as Harleen pulled her keys out and unlocked his door, holding it open with her hip as she reached down and picked up the tray. Joker hurried over to get the tray from her. 

“Mmm...the smell of Thanksgiving dinner just like good old mom used to make.” Joker chuckled. 

Harleen giggled as the door shut behind her. “Do you actually remember or are you…” 

Joker sat down on his cot grinning at her. “I’m just speculating Harley my sweet, just speculating.” 

Harleen sat down beside him as Joker set the tray before them. Harleen tilted her head. “Did you want to say grace or anything like that?” 

Joker nodded reaching over and taking her hands. Harleen blushed as he held both her hands over the food and closing his eyes. “Bless us Oh Lord for hot turkey, sleepy guards, very attractive doctors…” He opened one eye to grin at her. “...and for Batman keeping Gotham fun. Amen.” 

Harleen giggled again as he gave her hands a gentle squeeze before he released them. 

“So, how was your date?” Joker asked, but in a tone that reminded her of Bugs Bunny the beautician talking to the monster Gossamer in that cartoon. 

Harleen giggled at him. “It was all right. He had candles everywhere and wine…” 

Joker lifted an inquisitive brow at her and Harleen giggled. “Not very good wine. I only had a couple of sips. “ 

Joker shrugged talking around his bite of turkey and trying to hide the intensity of the flash of jealousy that washed over him knowing she had been with Dr. Vane. “Well it doesn’t really matter because you are technically off the clock right now aren’t you?” 

Harleen nodded taking her own bite of food, her appetite suddenly returning twofold. “True, though because of that I would be in big trouble right now if someone found me here just eating dinner with you.” 

Joker grinned at her, pointing at her with a mashed potato covered fork. “See, this is why I like you doc, you’re a rebel.” 

Harleen giggled and blushed as she cut off a piece of cranberry sauce. 

“So…” Joker asked without looking at her. “Did anything happen?” 

Harleen frowned looking over at him. “What do you mean?” 

Joker tried to keep his voice light, but failed. “Did he kiss you?” 

Harleen stared back at him, then said softly. “Yes, he did...I...I didn’t kiss him back. I…” She frowned looking down at her plate of half-eaten food. “I didn’t want to,” she admitted. “It felt weird.” 

She looked up at him again and shrugged. “I told him I didn’t kiss him back because I’d just eaten.” She giggled with embarrassment. 

Joker nodded, then said softly. “You should have told him the truth, that he repulses you.” 

“I don't know if he…” She began, but Joker grinned. 

“Doesn’t he? The good Dr. Vane, the good boy, the boy next door, the one you should be feeling all sorts of warm and wiggling feelings for…” Joker wrapped his arms around himself and rocked back and forth with a goofy grin on his face. “... but, oh my gosh and gee willikers, Dr. Vane doesn’t do it for you? Doesn’t make the fires burn or the heart skip a beat...He doesn’t make you want some smooth loving.” Joker chuckled while Harleen gave him a dirty look that was softened by her amusement, but she answered him with a soft and annoyed murmur. “No, he doesn’t.” 

“That’s a shame doc, pretty girl like you needs to be our there sowing her wild oats, riding the wild stallions…” He rocked in place with his arms out like he was riding a horse, then stopped, a frown on his usual merry features as he turned his full attention to her, his eyes cutting into her like glass. “No, I take that back. Girl like you--a woman like you, just needs someone special, someone, to fill all your needs, all your desires. Someone who will never bore you, who will keep your life full of excitement and laughter. Someone who can reach those dark places you keep hidden from the world, someone who can burn you...That’s what you need.” He pointed at her as if he had made a discovery, but his voice had become soft, seductive. 

Harleen found herself leaning forward as Joker spoke, but then pulled back covering her flush of heated attraction with a giggle. “Maybe. It would be nice to be with someone who you don’t have any secrets from.” 

Joker dropped his fork and stood up abruptly at the same time that the record stopped. “Time for dancing Harls!” 

Harleen watched as Joker hurried over to the record player and the records that he had scattered there. He dropped to a crouch and quickly looked through the records until he found the one he wanted. He pulled the record out of its sleeve, replacing the one that had been playing on the turntable and gently set the needle down. 

There was a second or two of silence before Fred Astaire began to sing. 

“Some day, when I'm awfully low 

When the world is cold 

I will feel a glow just thinking of you 

And the way you look tonight.” 

* 

Joker hopped to his feet, hurrying over to Harleen. He bowed and reached for her hand, yanking her to her feet and into his arms. Unlike Wyndham, Joker pulled her up against him so that her body was flush against his, wrapping his arms around her completely under her doctor’s coat. He held her tight, pressed against him. He grinned at her, his blue eyes twinkling. 

Harleen swallowed, briefly recalled Wyndham mentioning the Joker waiting, but she put her arms around his shoulders as Joker began to weave to the music and Fred Astaire’s gentle voice. 

“Yes, you're lovely, with your smile so warm 

And your cheeks so soft 

There is nothing for me but to love you 

And the way you look tonight …” 

* 

Joker purred. “You know, you do look lovely tonight.” 

He reached up and plucked her glasses away, tossing them onto his cot. “I like your eyes Harley, so pretty like jewels.” 

Harleen blushed, glancing down shyly. Her heart was pounding and she felt hot. Joker moved her around the small room, holding her tightly and laid his cheek against hers. Harleen bit her bottom lip closing her eyes while leaning against his cheek. Everything that she hadn’t felt with Wyndham she was feeling right now, the hot rush of blood through her body making her breasts feel heavy, her nipples tight, and her groin pulsed… 

This was wrong, all of this was so wrong she tried to tell herself. She shouldn’t be in Joker’s room right now, she shouldn’t be dancing with him, fuck...she shouldn’t be feeling like this about her patient! It was all so wrong, but she couldn’t stop herself... 

Joker’s heart pounded, pumping blood hot and fast through him. His groin ached, his need almost overpowering. Harley smelled like vanilla, which made him want to eat her, to run his tongue over her, to fill his hands with her breasts, his tongue between her legs to taste her excitement. He felt weak--which he hated--but at the same time this was so much fun. He had never had these needs and feelings before, but Harley… 

He growled softly, brushing his nose against her throat, feeling her pulse against his lips when he brushed them against her tender skin. 

Joker’s lips moved against her ear, his breath hot as he sang along with Fred Astaire. 

“With each word your tenderness grows 

Tearin' my fear apart 

And that laugh, wrinkles your nose 

Touches my foolish heart …” 

Joker backed Harleen up against the far corner of his room, pressing her back against the wall. It was dark in this part of the room, the weak light from the hall unable to bend this far, leaving the two of them in shadows. 

Harleen’s hands slid down from his shoulders, her palms pressed against his bare chest. She could feel the beat of his heart, the warmth of his ghost-white skin seeping into her. She looked up as Joker pressed his hands against the wall, leaning into her, staring down at her with haunting blue eyes, his green hair falling across his forehead. 

He looked at her lips, licking his own as his desire to taste her mouth tightened his body. The feel of her hands against his skin was more pleasurable than anything he had felt in his life. He licked his lips again before he leaned in to lay his forehead lightly against hers. He brushed his long nose along hers, his lips close enough that Harleen could feel the warmth of his breath against her lips. 

Joker stared into her eyes and Harleen found it hard to breathe. His pelvis was pressed against hers and she could feel his erection pressed against her, his hands on either side of her head trapping her...But she didn’t feel trapped. 

Joker whispered softly, his lips brushing against hers, but not quite touching, his breath a warm caress. “I think you need someone else Harley...I don’t think Dr. Vane is the man for you. You need someone...different.” 

Harleen’s breath caught. Her heart beat to fast that her ears were ringing and her palms felt sweaty. 

“You don’t?” she asked in a whisper, her lips brushing against his lips. 

Joker smiled and she could feel the smile form against her mouth. “No, no I don’t.” 

They stayed like that, Joker hovering over her, Harleen waiting to see what he would do, her hands pressed against his chest, her heart pounding so hard that she wouldn’t be surprised if he could hear it. Just when she thought he would kiss her, Joker’s body tensed, his gaze became confused and he stepped away. 

Harleen sagged against the wall, her knees almost buckling. 

Joker pressed his lips together, looking… 

Harleen frowned. Did he look uncomfortable? Unsure of himself...was the Joker about to lose control? 

“You should probably go, doc,” he whispered, turning away from her so she couldn’t see his face. He ran his fingers through his hair in a gesture she might have said was a nervous tick if this wasn’t the Joker. 

Harleen didn’t say anything for a bit, stayed pressed against the wall, her eyes wide, but Joker turned toward her, his eyes icy as he snarled. “I said you should go!” 

Harleen stared at him for a beat before she turned and fled the room, grabbing up her glasses at the last moment, only stopping long enough to lock his door before she ran down the hall, tears pricking at her eyes, her heart racing. 

Joker dropped to a crouch once the door slammed shut and wrapped his arms around his legs, pressing his face against his knees. 

What the fuck was happening to him, he asked himself. 

He snarled. The desire to kiss her was strong enough that he felt a pit of despair open in his chest that he hadn’t kissed her, but had sent her away instead. 

What the fuck was wrong with him? What was happening? 

What the hell was he feeling?


	10. Bites and Kisses

Joker paced his cell with his hands clasped behind his back and his eyes narrowed while he walked to the far corner of the room--which was only a few paces--then back to his bunk. He was shirtless and wore no shoes, and he could feel the chill seeping through the walls of the asylum. It must have snowed outside he thought. 

Joker continued to pace, his mind still focused on the almost-kiss with Harley from a handful of nights ago on Thanksgiving. He could still see her face from that night, the shine on her lips, the heat of her body against his, the alluring smell of her hair and skin. He stopped his pacing and reached down to grasp the erection that manifested instantly when he thought of her. He closed his eyes with a low groan. 

Joker found his feelings muddled and that annoyed him. Feelings were not something he had--or at least not like this. Yes, he felt joy when he had executed a particularly successful crime, or when one of his jokes landed perfectly. He loved matching wits with Batman and some of Gotham’s other suited sourpuss vigilantes. It was fun, hilarious, exhilarating, some of the best times in his life. He also felt anger, a rage that burned deep in his gut, sometimes at Batman or other masked buffoons, but usually just at the world. 

Joker also felt rage at the mention of Dr. Wyndham Vane. He had caught a little bit of gossip here and there by listening to the guards and he knew that the asylum saw Harley and Wyndham as a couple. That pissed him off. 

But what he was feeling for Dr. Harleen Quinzel, Harley Quinn, was not something he was accustomed to, not something he had any experience with. These strange feelings, lust… 

Lust was a feeling he had never experienced before, but it was one he could understand because lust, joy, and anger all seemed to him to be cousins. He had never felt sexual attraction before--that was definitely something new. Thinking about Harley made him ache with need. He dreamed about her, thought about her constantly, about how her skin must feel, how she smelled, the feel of her hair, the way her lips moved when she spoke, or how she licked those same luscious lips with her pink tongue. He thought constantly about her eyes, about the way her breasts pressed against her top, or the shape of her legs; visible when she wore a dress. 

He dreamed of holding her naked body against his own, dreamed about running his fingers through that patch of curly hair between her legs, or about running his tongue over her, sucking on her nipples that he imagined must be pink and perfect. He imagined rubbing his cheeks against her breasts, sliding his fingers into her, pressing his mouth against her sex, becoming surrounded by the heady scent and taste of her while she moaned his name… 

Joker groaned softly at his thoughts, his groin pulsating with his desire. But mixed with the lust was another feeling that was worming its way through his lust for her. Desire yes, but something else, a feeling so foreign to him he couldn’t even put a name to it. This new mysterious emotion felt overwhelming. 

He couldn’t decide if this new feeling he had for his psychiatrist was a strength or a weakness. While he could see how this strange emotion could make him weak, he could also see the strength in it, especially if he had Harley with him, at his side, all the time... 

Joker sighed and began to pace again. Harley had come to see him over the last couple of days when he refused to leave his cell to go to their appointed meetings. He had ignored her, not even trusting himself to be his usual snarky self. He couldn't even make his usual jokes. Harley had left him alone the last two days. He had seen the way her face fell when he refused to talk to her. He found it strange how her being upset bothered him, it hurt him to see her like that, hurt him for her to walk away. (Joker--hurting and confused. That had to be a joke in and of itself, he realized.) 

On top of that, Joker found himself needing to see Harley, wanting to see her. Joker stopped his pacing and rubbed his lips together. He placed his hands against the wall of his cell and closed his eyes, his mind wandering to the memory of her face, his hands on her body while they danced, the feel of her breath against his lips. 

Joker sighed heavily, but just as swiftly the sigh turned into a smile that stretched across his pale face. He had made up his mind. He knew exactly what he wanted. He kept one hand pressed against the wall, his other hand freeing his throbbing erection. He groaned softly when he touched himself imagining Harley’s hand on him, her smile, those blue eyes of hers, her blonde hair a soft fall of silk around her pretty, bright face. He sucked on his bottom lip thinking about her wearing nothing but that doctor’s coat, smiling at him, her glasses at the tip of her nose. His gaze traveled down to the swell of her breasts, her pink nipples, over her stomach, the smooth gentle roll of her hips to the dark curls at her sex… 

He came with a grunt, pressing himself against the wall, his mind’s eyes focused on his image of Harley… 

Joker breathed deeply, a smile on his face. He had thought since she became his therapist to simply play with her, but now that was all different. Now he wanted something else, something more. He knew what he wanted and he intended to have her, not just the sex--which he was looking forward to experiencing with her. No he wanted her as his partner, his confidant, his lover… 

Joker intended to make Harley his girl, permanently. Besides, she needed him, pretty little thing like her, Arkham Asylum and Gotham City would crush her and spit her out, turn her into something rotten and ugly, like so many other people here. He needed to protect her from all of that, teach her to fight back, to stab Gotham in the neck and laugh about the blood on her face. Then together, as partners, with her as his only equal in this whole mess, they would make Gotham their playground. 

He giggled. This was going to be so much fun! 

* 

Harleen groaned when she woke up that morning. Her sleep had been plagued with dreams about Joker, about him naked, on top of her, his tongue in her mouth, his hands all over her body... 

She’d woken up in a sweat, turned on to the point that she needed to take care of herself. 

She had laid back in her bed, one hand snaking between her legs, the other wrapped around one breast. She thought of him, his green hair framing his face in soft curls, his smile, the feel of his skin, imagined what him pounding into her would feel like… 

Harleen came with a cry, arching her back with a gasp. “Uh...Joker!” 

Harleen gasped softly and sank back against her bed, removing her hand with a sigh. While that had felt good, it just wasn’t enough. She still felt a deep ache in her core. She made a face and rolled out of bed, heading to the shower. 

While she washed her hair Harleen frowned in frustration. Joker had been acting odd the last few days, refusing to talk to her since their dance on Thanksgiving. Along with the very clear lust she was feeling, Harleen felt an inappropriate mix of depression, dejectedness, and frustration about this--all the feelings that she, as Joker’s doctor, should not have been feeling. She had almost thought, very briefly, of stopping the Joker's treatment. She shouldn’t be feeling this way about him, she knew. He was her patient, not a potential love interest, but she found that she couldn’t stop herself from thinking about him, dreaming about him, and the very thought of not being his doctor made her ill. 

As inappropriate as her feelings were, Harleen wasn’t going to give up though. He was her patient. He needed her help and she really felt she was making progress with him. She would just have to stuff her feelings down and get back to the work of being his doctor. Maybe she could encourage him to talk to her again by giving him a reward for his good behavior, something different than paper or crayons… 

Harleen smiled as she stepped out of the shower. She knew exactly what she was going to do with him this afternoon. 

She dressed without really paying attention, wearing something she knew he would like, putting on a black turtleneck that clung to her breasts, under a double-knit polyester red shirtdress that fell just above her knees, showing off her legs and the stockings, she had chosen to wear (with a garter belt, even though no one would know about her sexy little addition), and a pair of her favorite brown boots. She carefully applied her makeup, fixed her hair, and slipped on her doctor’s coat before she stepped out of her room to head to work. 

* 

When she arrived downstairs she saw that Christmas decorations were being put up by some of the janitorial staff. A couple of them were putting up a fake tree in the building’s cafeteria, and someone had hung green and red plastic garland around the cafeteria, along with taping some paper cut-outs of a jolly Santa and his elves. 

Harleen saw Wyndham waiting for her with breakfast as usual. She found herself feeling a little annoyed the last couple of mornings when she saw him; not angry, but just a little annoyed, mostly because he kept kissing her on the mouth. Not a full kiss, just a peck. 

Wyndham smiled. “Harleen, good morning. You look especially pretty this morning.” 

Harleen smiled, letting him kiss her. “Thank you.” 

She took her seat, immediately going for her coffee as Wyndham took his seat. “So I heard you were going to be working with Alice and Archie today.” 

Harleen nodded, picking up a forkful of rubbery scrambled eggs. “Yes, they asked me yesterday if I wouldn’t mind helping out. The patients are going to be making Christmas ornaments.” 

Wyndham nodded, swallowing his bite of toast. “Are you going to be working with Joker today? I heard he hasn’t been cooperating with you the last few days.” 

Harleen pressed her lips together on her annoyance. Of course everyone already knew. It would be only a matter of time before Huntoon started trying to get her removed from the Joker's case and himself put on, or someone else. She had to smile at the thought of Huntoon trying to work with Joker. Now that would be funny. 

Joker would have him dead in a couple of hours at most, probably in a really creative way too. She bit her bottom lip on a giggle. 

Harleen paled, swallowing her giggle with a gulp of coffee at the viciousness of her thought, thinking about someone’s possible murder with a smile. That wasn’t like her at all...or was it? 

She quickly dismissed the unsettling thought, focusing her attention on her eggs and Wyndham. “I’m going to try something different today with him,” she said before taking another bite of her eggs speaking around her mouthful. “Something that will help him open up again.” 

Wyndham lifted a brow at her and frowned. He really was handsome Harleen thought, but his good looks were having no effect on her. He lacked something, some inner spark that Joker had. 

Wyndham was like a generic pharmaceutical. She thought with amusement that maybe she was attracted to Joker’s madness, but as amusing as that thought was, it also made her feel a momentary drop in her chest. She quickly ignored the dark thought. 

“Oh, may I ask what?” Wyndham asked with a smile. 

Harleen smiled, sipping her coffee. “Nope.” 

Wyndham looked a little surprised, then smiled shaking his head with amusement. “All right Dr. Quinzel. I trust you and I’m sure I’ll hear all about it later.” 

Harleen chuckled. “Of course.” 

* 

After breakfast, Harleen walked outside with Wyndham and stopped in surprise. Wyndham watched her as Harleen gasped, her eyes wide behind her glasses. She had noticed that it seemed colder in the cafeteria, but she hadn’t really paid attention as to why. Now that she was outside Harleen could see that it had snowed. 

“Oh!” She turned slowly around in a circle, her eyes bright with delight. “It snowed last night!” 

Wyndham grinned. “Yes it did. Might have to build a snowman or something,” he said with a laugh. 

Harleen didn’t hear him. All she was thinking was that it had snowed and wondered if Joker would like the snow. 

* 

The morning meeting went by fairly quickly, though Dr. Huntoon complained about the Christmas decorations. Harleen thought it was nice that the staff was decorating for the holiday. She was raised Jewish--though not practicing--and she loved Christmas decorations. She thought it brought some cheerfulness to the asylum that was much needed. The decorations might even bring some hope to the patients. 

Harleen figured Huntoon just liked to have something to bitch about or he wasn’t happy. She narrowed her eyes as she glared at the back of the man’s head. If anyone in this place needed a psychiatrist, it was Dr. Huntoon. She thought briefly about giving the man electroshock therapy and had to put a hand over her mouth to stop herself from giggling at the image in her mind of Dr. Huntoon all bug-eyed and slobbering over himself. 

Dr. Strange also brought up that a patient had gone missing during the night. There was no evidence of an escape and so he was asking all doctors and staff to be on the lookout for the patient hiding on the grounds. 

Harleen frowned briefly, remembering that Joker had mentioned missing personnel, missing patients...about one of the doctors not being what they seemed, but then she was distracted by Wyndham reaching under the table to squeeze her knee. Harleen barely prevented herself from jumping as she turned to look at him, schooling her features to not be annoyed. 

He smiled and leaned close to whisper in her ear. “How would you like to leave the grounds for dinner tonight?” 

Harleen frowned. “I can’t…” 

Wyndham frowned at her in return, then smiled. “You know what, I’ll just go get something and bring it back. You have got to be tired of cafeteria food.” 

Harleen chewed the side of her lip. That much was true; she was tired of cafeteria food. “Sure,” she said, the train of her thoughts about the missing patient faded. 

* 

After the meeting Harleen headed to the art room with Drs. Archie and Alice Knots. Alice walked beside her, speaking cheerfully. She had recently gotten her hair cut short, a shag hair cut, a cropped style with all-over, asymmetrical layer. Harleen wasn’t sure how she felt about the style, but Alice Knots looked cute with the hair cut. 

“Thanks for helping out Dr. Quinzel,” Alice said with a grin. 

Harleen laughed. “Call me Harleen please, and it's no problem. Making Christmas ornaments sounds fun. I might have to work some art projects into Joker’s therapy.” 

Alice frowned just slightly, glancing sideways at Harleen. “So how is it going with Joker? I don’t mean to sound rude, but I’m really surprised he hasn't attacked you yet.” 

Harleen smiled with a small shake of her head. “You’re not being rude. We’re experiencing a bump right now. He’s a bit temperamental…” Harleen chuckled. “...but overall I think his therapy is going well. We talk and I think he trusts me. The reward system is working too. He behaves himself, he gets a reward, or a freedom.” 

“Aren’t you worried that maybe he’s...I don’t know, using you?” Alice asked. 

Harleen would have found the question irritating from someone else, but Alice honestly wanted to know and she supposed she shouldn’t be angry about the question. It was a very real possibility that Joker was playing her, but Harleen didn’t believe that. She had looked in his eyes, she had seen honesty there; maybe she was being foolish, but she didn’t think so. She was sure that during her time with Joker, he had been honest with her. 

They turned a corner, stepped around a custodian who was applying caulk to a window sill from which Harleen and Alice felt a small draft. They continued walking as Harleen answered. “He very well could be, but I don’t want to treat him like he is always scheming. I think he expects it. I treat him like a person, and I can’t expect him to trust me to help him if I don’t trust him too.” Harleen pushed her glasses up her nose. “I think that is where most of the problems between Joker and his doctors in the past have come from. They become so taken in by Joker’s persona, so frightened of the boogieman that lurks under the skin that they don’t take the time to look for the man under the smile. That’s what I want to do, find the man that is under all the layers of nightmares and laughs.” 

Alice nodded, looking impressed. “Wow, that’s pretty amazing Harleen and that seems like a good position to take as a therapist, but still...I don’t understand how you can work with him. Aren’t you scared? I would be terrified; the things he has done...” 

Harleen shook her head. “Not really. I mean, a little, but not anymore scared than I would be with any other patient. I treat Joker with respect, he treats me the same way. I refuse to treat him like a crazed animal.” 

Alice shook her head. “Well I think you might be a better doctor than me or anyone else here because none of us could work with him, or even want to work with him. I hope he never hurts you.” 

Harleen smiled, speaking with confidence. “He won’t.” 

* 

There were a handful of patients in the art room for the Christmas ornament art project, including Nellie Cochran (or rather the undercover Vickie Vale). When Vickie saw Harleen, her eyes lit up and she gave a little wave followed by a hand signal that Harleen took to mean she wanted her to come over and talk with Vickie when she got a chance. 

Harleen did her best not to roll her eyes. She knew exactly what Vickie wanted to talk about--when was she going to get to speak to Joker, when she was going to get her interview… 

It was going to be never if Harleen had any say… 

Harleen frowned as she mulled that over. She wasn’t exactly sure why she was so against Vickie talking to Joker, was it jealousy? Was she worried for Vickie’s safety? Or was it selfishness? Maybe allowing Vickie to speak with Joker would make him feel betrayed by Harleen. Or maybe it was all of those. Either way, Harleen didn’t want to let Vickie anywhere near Joker. 

Alice smiled when she stepped into the art room, nodding to the guards and orderlies who were already in the room with the patients. She gave a smile to a couple of the patients, being overall pleasant. Harleen recognized a couple of the guards and orderlies, but the rest she didn’t recognize which made her wonder what the turnover in regular employees was in this place. 

Alice gently laid a hand on Harleen’s arm grabbing her attention. “Okay I’m going to point out everyone because I’m sure you haven’t met most of these patients. That man over there…” Alice pointed to a bald man who had the months of the year tattooed around his head. Harleen lifted a brow at the unusual tattoos. 

“That’s Julian, but he likes everyone to refer to him as Calandarman. He is fixated on dates. Now that woman there…” Alice pointed to a woman with dyed red hair which had grown out a hand width, showing dull dishwater brown hair underneath. “That’s Rubby with two b’s. She gets really upset if that second b isn’t included, there’s Royston...” She pointed at a man so skinny he looked to be made of bone and skin only. “He has schizophrenia, talks to the voices he hears a lot, but he’s mostly harmless, the voices in his head like to sing mostly.” Next she pointed to Vickie Vale. “That’s Nellie, but I think you met her…” Alice glanced at Harleen for confirmation, who nodded, before she continued.

“That’s Kirk…” an unremarkable looking man with shaggy brown hair and haunted eyes. Alice murmured. “He thinks he’s a bat…” Alice whispered. “He used to be a scientist. I don't know all the details, but he ended up here after killing his wife. He claims the bat in him did it. Clearly he wasn’t seen as fit to stand trial. Anyway, then we have a Buddy, do not get him talking about ketchup or mustards. He’s obsessed with condiments, claims he’s a super villain on par with Joker.” She giggled softly, then continued. “Okay that really large bald guy is Humphry, then there is Abby, Carl…” Harleen saw these last people in a blur, not really registering their face. “...and last but not least--Arnold,” Alice whispered as Harleen looked over at Arnold who was a balding man with a ring of brown hair that was going grey. He was in his late thirties with large round glasses. He made Harleen think of an accountant, except he had a sock on his left hand that he seemed to be talking to. 

Alice murmured. “Arnold there is a ventriloquist. He won’t speak to you except through his sock friend Socko. He’s pretty calm unless he gets a hold of his other puppet, Scarface...” She shook her head. “We keep Scarface locked up.” 

Harleen smiled. “All right. So what do you want me to do?” 

Alice glanced over at her brother who was pulling out plastic buckets that contained art supplies. “Just walk around, engage the patients, help them if they need it. That’s about it. This is supposed to be a relaxing exercise.” She shrugged. “When they’re done, we are going to have them hang their ornaments on that tree.” Alice pointed to a bare, plastic Christmas tree. 

Harleen nodded. “Okay, easy enough.” 

* 

Harleen did just as she had been asked to do. She walked the room, helping hand out supplies and encouragement while Alice and Archie gave directions to the patients, giving them safety scissors, glue, crayons, glitter, paper, and several other safe items with which to make their ornaments. Archie put on some Christmas music and everyone set to work. 

Harleen walked slowly around the room, smiling and chatting with the patients, but she noticed how Vickie kept trying to get her attention. 

Harleen found the woman insufferable and annoying, but she finally made her way over to Vickie who was sharing a table with Carl and Buddy. 

“Did you need something?” Harleen asked, glancing over at Alice and Archie who were both at separate tables helping their patients. 

Vickie motioned Harleen down closer to her. Harleen just barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she crouched down next to Vickie’s chair. 

“So when is Joker going to be allowed in general population?” Vickie asked eagerly. 

Harleen did her best not to sigh. “I doubt he ever will be. He’s dangerous.” 

Vickie frowned, glancing at the other patients at the table who were busy with their ornaments before she asked in a whisper. “Okay fine, but you have got to get me to see him. An interview will make my career. Maybe you could let me talk to him during one of your sessions or maybe just take me to his room. I heard one of the nurse’s talking about how he hadn’t spoken to you in a couple of days--maybe he needs a fresh face?” Vickie grinned at her. “I was voted prettiest reporter in Gotham the last two years in a row. Sometimes a pretty face can get the worst, most hardened criminal to talk.” 

The urge to slam Vickie’s head into the table was so strong that Harleen’s fingers twitched to grab the other woman’s blonde hair while at the same time she thought to herself. “I wonder how pretty you’d be with a broken nose?” It was a violent, vicious reaction to what Vickie Vale had said. Harleen even moved her hand up, ready to grab Vickie’s head, but quickly pulled her hand away, balling it into a fist on her leg. Harleen was a little surprised by how vicious her thought was, and yet, at the same time, she felt justified in feeling it. Vickie had not only implied that Harleen was ugly, but she was also trying to muscle her way into Joker’s company. The bitch. 

Harleen hissed back low. “Miss Vale, I appreciate you are working on a story, but the Joker is my patient. He is neither a toy, nor an object to be exploited. I cannot and will not let you sit in on one of my sessions with him. Those are private. I will also not let you bother him in his room. If an opportunity comes up that you can speak to him, then I will make sure that you get that chance, but until then, you should focus on your other story, which is on Arkham.” 

Vickie started to open her mouth in protest, her eyes wide in indignation when Alice screamed. 

Harleen’s head shot up to see to see Kirk had leapt on Alice’s back, his arms around her throat. The man had pulled Alice back to a corner of the room, his fingers pressing hard on her throat. 

Kirk was hissing like an animal, his safety scissors at her throat. The rest of the room erupted into chaos. The other patients began to shout, Buddy stood up and flung the table on its side yelling about mayo for some inexplicable reason. Vickie screamed loud enough that Harleen rose to her feet, putting her hands over her ears. 

Humphry ran to the opposite corner of the room, knocking over a guard who hit the floor and slid into a wall, not moving. Abby started to sing Jingle Bells at the top of her lungs standing on her chair while Royston screamed from his chair about needing to eat the flesh of elves. Julian began to throw glitter in the air, singing Jimmy Buffet’s song “Come Monday” and Arnold began to speak in hurried frantic whispers to his sock puppet, both of them ducking under the table. 

Harleen ignored Vickie, hopping over the table that Buddy had tossed, and rushed over to Alice and Kirk. The man was hissing and spitting, pressing the scissors to her throat. The blades on it weren’t sharp enough to cut her throat, but with enough force Kirk could puncture Alice’s neck. Kirk looked and acted like a cornered animal. 

The guards were shouting while Archie was yelling for everyone to get back and stay calm, as if simply yelling commands would make the patients react appropriately. 

Harleen pushed her way past the guards and turned, pointing at the door. “Get back and get the other patients out of here or at least under control!” 

One of the guards, a big man, the type Harleen knew liked to throw their weight around, started to argue. Harleen could see it in his eyes that he wanted to shout her down, but she stood her ground and jabbed her finger into his chest. “Just get back!” Harleen snarled. “Let me do my job!” 

The guard was about to grab her wrist when Kirk made a shrieking sound that drew everyone’s attention. 

Harleen turned toward Kirk and the sobbing Alice. 

Harleen put her hands up while Kirk’s eyes bulged and he pressed the scissors to Alice’s throat. 

“Okay, your name’s Kirk right?” Harleen started, but Kirk hissed. “I’m Man-Bat!!!” 

Harleen nodded. “Okay...Man-Bat. Just let Dr. Knots go, you don’t want to hurt her do you?” 

Kirk looked confusedly at her. “I want to fly!” 

Harleen nodded. “Okay Man-Bat, that’s good. Of course you do, you’re a man-bat right?” 

Kirk nodded and Harleen saw his grip on Alice eased some. “Yes, yes! I want to fly!” 

Harleen nodded. “All right that’s good. Now...release Alice, because you can’t fly with her…” 

Kirk stared at Harleen, looking confused. “Francine?” 

Harleen looked confused when she heard Archie behind her say softly. “That’s his wife.” 

Harleen frowned, then nodded. “Yes, it’s me Francine. Now why don’t you let the doctor go Kirk…” 

Kirk slowly eased his hands away from Alice. Harleen reached out slowly and took Alice’s hand pulling her away from Kirk and behind her. Kirk stood still in the corner staring at Harleen. A couple of the guards started to go pass her to grab him. 

Harleen said to them in a quiet, but severe tone. “No!!” She turned her back to Kirk, trying to stop them knowing that the man was still too worked up to come quietly, but the guards started to push her out of the way to get to Kirk while one of the orderlies was yelling about having a tranquilizer... 

Harleen pushed one of the guards, but he guard shoved her backwards a step toward Kirk. Kirk shrieked. He leapt up far higher than he should have been able to do for a normal man and landed not on the guard, but on Harleen’s back, slamming her to the floor. Her cheek hit hard against the floor, knocking her glasses off and sending them skittering across the floor. Kirk’s weight was on her back, but he grabbed her hair, yanking a handful of blond hair to his nose and sniffed before he yanked her head back painfully and hissed in her ear. 

“You’re not FRANCINE!!” Then he bit her, biting down on the space between her throat and shoulders. 

Harleen screamed more in anger than pain, though the bite hurt. She twisted her torso back bringing up her elbow to hit Kirk in the nose with a loud crunch. Kirk howled and Harleen twisted the rest of the way and bucked him off of her. She was furious, her cheek hurt, and she didn’t know where her glasses had gone. Kirk fell off of her, landing beside her, and Harleen moved. Her gymnastics training--and periodic workouts still--made her more limber, graceful, and quicker than the usual doctor, allowing her to twist herself up and over on top of Kirk, then she did something that was extremely unprofessional… 

Harleen brought her fist down on Kirk’s face, punched him in the jaw. 

The guards flowed over them, one of them grabbing Harleen and lifted her off of Kirk while two others grabbed his arms. Archie grabbed a syringe from one of the orderlies and dropped down next to Kirk and pressed the needle into the man’s neck while he struggled and hissed against the guards. After a few more seconds, Kirk stopped fighting and dropped into unconsciousness. 

A few more guards and orderlies had entered the room, the one holding Harleen let go with a laugh while the other patients were led out of the room and Archie was examining his sister’s throat. 

“Damn Dr. Quinzel, that was...well that was cool. Would have never thought you had that in you.” A guard chuckled handing her glasses to her. 

Harleen was breathing heavily, her hair was a mess, and she was relieved to see that her glasses weren’t broken. “Sorry I just...I just reacted...poorly. I shouldn’t have hit him.” 

“Well it's a good thing you did, freak like that could have done some real damage. You okay doctor?” the guard asked. 

Harleen reached up and touched her shoulder gingerly. She couldn’t tell without looking, but she didn’t think Kirk had broken the skin, between her jacket, her dress and turtleneck, that was a lot for him to work through, but she was sure it was going to be a bruise. 

“I'm all right, thank you.” Harleen replied. 

The guard nodded. “Okay doc.” 

The guard walked away and Harleen walked over to check on Alice who was sitting in a chair while her brother examined her throat. Alice was crying. As Harleen came closer, she could see angry red marks on Alice’s throat. “Are you all right?” she asked. 

Alice looked up and saw Harleen. She jumped to her feet and threw her arms around Harleen. “Thank you! That was so brave of you!” 

Harleen blinked in surprise, but hugged the other woman in return. “It’s all right, anyone else would have done the same.” 

Alice let her go, her eyes wide. “Are you okay? He bit you!” 

Harleen nodded. “Yeah I’m fine, it’s just a bruise, torn hose and maybe some bruised pride.” 

“You should have it looked at,” Alice insisted turning to look over at her twin brother who came closer. 

“I’ll take a quick look.” 

Harleen sighed knowing she wasn’t going to get away without them examining her. She slipped out of her doctor’s coat and pulled her turtleneck to the side as much as she could. Alice made a face with a hiss while Archie examined the spot, touching it lightly with his fingertips. Harleen winced. It felt like she had been bitten by a rabid dog. 

Archie made a soft humpf noise before he murmured. “You’re lucky, Dr. Quinzel. He didn’t break the skin, but that’s going to be a nasty looking bruise, and it’s gonna hurt like a sonofabitch.” 

Harleen smiled sickly. “I’ve had my fair share of bruises.” 

Alice smiled taking Harleen’s hand. “Thank you again.” 

Archie nodded. “Yeah, thank you for helping my sister.” 

Harleen just smiled. 

* 

Harleen headed down to Joker’s room with a long, black coat she had found in the asylum’s lost and found hanging over her arm and a pair of old military style boots that she found in one of the closets that held extra scrubs and other clothing supplies for the staff. She had planned on grabbing some tennis shoes, but had been surprised when she found a pair of boots, covered in dust, stuck in the back of the closet. Luck had continued to be with Harleen; she had seen and remembered Joker’s shoe size in his chart and was lucky enough to find that the pair of boots were in his size. 

Boots would be much better for walking in the snow than tennis shoes. She had also grabbed some thick grey socks from the same closet, which she had stuffed into the boots. 

She walked down to Joker’s room with one guard behind her, a new guy that had started only yesterday, named Zach. She had made sure that he was someone new because what she wanted to do with Joker this afternoon would be difficult with one of the older, more seasoned guards. 

Zach was a happy, smiling young man, which clearly showed more than anything else that he was new to Arkham. 

“So I just have to wait at the door, right Dr. Quinzel?” Zach asked again. 

Harleen sighed. She really was having trouble with her patience today. “Yes, we are going outside to the old courtyard, near the greenhouse. You just have to watch the gate while I take my patient for a walk.” 

Zach smiled. “Okay, sounds easy.” 

“It is,” Harleen assured him as they arrived at Joker’s door. 

Harleen stood on her tiptoes and looked inside. Joker was lying on his cot, his hands behind his head, shirtless, and with his feet crossed at the ankles. He had his eyes closed as if he were sleeping, but Harleen didn’t think he was sleeping at all. There was something about his stillness that seemed off, like a cobra waiting to strike. 

She sighed and pulled the keys out of her pocket. “Just wait out here,” she told Zach before she opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind her. 

Joker didn’t respond when she stepped in. 

Harleen took a breath and let it out slowly. “I know you aren’t talking to me, but I thought we might do something different today instead of your regular session.” 

Joker opened one eye. Seeing her sent all his senses into overdrive (just hearing her voice had been deliciously stimulating.) He could smell the sweetness of her hair and skin on the air, he breathed her scent in slowly, his nostrils flaring slightly. Her hair was slightly ruffled and he could see a bruise forming on her upper cheek. He frowned slightly, his blue eyed gaze on the bruise. 

“I heard you were involved in a commotion this morning. Heard some of the guards talking when they brought me breakfast,” he said without getting up. “You talked a patient into letting a doctor go.” He paused for a moment before he asked. “Are you all right, doc?” 

Harleen took in a shaky breath, relief washing over her when Joker spoke to her. She felt giddy, but kept herself under control. “Just bruising. He bit me, but didn’t break the skin.” 

Joker frowned, his brow furrowing. “He bit you? Where?” 

Harleen frowned, adjusting her hold on the clothing she had brought with her. “On the shoulder, the bruise on my cheek is from the fall.” 

Joker felt a tremor of rage wash through his body, but he kept himself under control. He sat up slowly, resisting the urge to hurry over and check her, but he couldn’t stop himself from saying. “Let me see.” 

Harleen walked over to him. He moved his legs out of the way, sitting cross-legged so she could sit on the cot next to him. He noticed the coat and shoes in her hands, but said nothing as Harleen set the items on her lap. She reached up and tugged her turtleneck to the side. 

Joker moved closer to her. The scent of Harley rolled over him, making his mouth water. He reached out and dragged just the tips of his fingers along her exposed throat down to the nasty looking bruise, turned dark blue and purple. His fingers gilded gently over the bruise. Harleen hissed softly in pain. 

Joker moved closer to her. Harleen could feel his breath on her skin, a warm caress, a tickle that she could feel from where it touched her to right down between her legs. Her breathing became shallow while his fingers caressed her throat. 

“You’re a brave girl Harleen,” he whispered. 

Harleen’s eyes slid closed. His mouth was closer, she could feel it. She thought he might kiss her throat, but then he had moved back, removing his fingers and leaving nothing but chilliness behind. 

“So Dr. Quinzel…” He dragged out the Z in her name with a grin. “What do you have in mind for today?” 

Harleen had to take a moment to refocus herself, taking several deep breaths before she continued. “I thought we might take a walk outside.” She smiled at him, laying her hands on the coat and boots on her lap. 

Joker lifted a green eyebrow at her quizzically. “Outside?” 

She smiled and nodded. “Yes. Just you and me. I have one guard, but he is going to watch the gate to the greenhouse for me while we take our walk.” 

Joker snickered. “Well doc, that’s a lot of trust, don’t know if I deserve that. I might just kill you, bury you in the snow, and make my escape.” 

Harleen tilted her head to the side studying his face. “Is that something you intend to do?” 

Joker shrugged. “I might, I’ll have to see what mood strikes me.” 

“So does that mean you would like to go for a walk in the snow with me?” Harleen asked with a smile. 

Joker grinned. “Yes.” 

“Good.” Harleen giggled and handed him the coat and boots. 

* 

Joker was amused, watching Harleen trying to sneak him out of the asylum while not letting on to the block headed guard she had with them that she was doing anything wrong, or at least against standard procedure. Joker had the long coat on and the boots over his Arkham Asylum official patient wear, but the coat hid his clothing (though he knew his hair and skin color were a dead giveaway of who he was.) But still, Harleen had done her best to minimize anyone noticing them. 

She was actually pretty good about sneaking around without looking like that was what she was doing. Exuding confidence helped, which she was doing, and the idiot guard with them didn’t even question her when Harleen brought them to an unused side door and hurried them outside. 

Joker grinned when he saw the snow. It was now deep enough that it came up over their ankles and the snowfall continued. 

Harleen motioned for Joker and Zach to follow her as she hurried around a corner, moving quickly across a small open area, then around another corner and along a little used path to a small set of old gates. Harleen opened the gates (they weren’t locked, but they were rusty) and they headed in to the older Arkham Asylum gardens. 

Harleen turned to Zach. “All right, you just stand guard here. If anything asks what you are doing, you just tell them that you’re on a smoke break.” 

Zach’s eyes brightened. “Can I smoke while I wait then?” 

Harleen smiled. “Sure, of course.” 

Joker turned to the guard who seemed to have no idea who he was, which made Joker wonder if the kid needed to be a patient instead of a guard, or maybe he needed to work harder on making sure all of Gotham became reacquainted with the Joker. The younger generation. He sighed. 

“Zach my boy, can you spare a smoke for your Uncle J?” Joker grinned, showing off his perfect white teeth except for the little gap between the two upper front teeth. 

Zach lifted a brow. “You’re not my uncle.” 

Joker laughed. “Son, I’m a clown--I’m everyone’s uncle.” 

Zack looked confused, but then shrugged. “Sure.” He pulled out his cigarettes and smacked the hard box pack before holding it out to Joker. 

Joker grinned, pulling out a cigarette then held it to his lips. “Got a light big boy?” 

Zach nodded pulling out a book of matches; he lit a match then held it out. Joker took a few seconds to get his cigarette burning. He took a long, deep drag on the cigarette then sighed with contentment, the smoke flowing from his mouth and through his nostrils. “Ah, now that is much better. Thank you Zach. I don’t think I’ll kill you, at least not today.” 

Zach frowned, looking confused which only made Joker chuckle as Harleen sighed. “Thank you Zach. We’ll be back in a few minutes, you just enjoy your cigarette.” 

Zach nodded, his smile returning easily. “Okay Dr. Quinzel.” 

Harleen began walking and Joker fell into step beside her. 

* 

They both walked quietly for a few minutes. The gardens on this side of the asylum were large, and might be pretty in the spring if anyone took care of them, but right now they were covered in snow so it didn’t really matter Harleen thought. The greenhouse that was at the end of the garden was a large Victorian-style glass greenhouse. It was hard to tell if there was anything inside, with the snow cover and the glass being foggy, but they slowly headed in that direction. 

Joker took another deep drag on his cigarette, his free hand shoved into the pocket of the coat. “So, why the walk?” he asked around a cloud of smoke. 

Harleen shoved her hands into her doctor’s coat, wishing she had put on a thicker coat over her clothing. “I thought you might like the exercise and I thought the air would be good for you.” She glanced sideways, watching the way he smiled, enjoying his cigarette. “So why have you not wanted to talk to me?” 

Joker frowned. He didn’t look over at her while they walked. “I had some...things I needed to think over in private. That was all.” 

“Things?” Harleen asked with a lifted brow. 

Joker grinned at her, smoke flowing from between his teeth. “Yes, things.” 

“You know, I am your doctor. I’m supposed to help you with those...things,” Harleen said with a smile. 

Joker chuckled, admiring how pretty she was with the snow flakes in her blonde hair. Her smile was gorgeous, probably one of her best features, among several other fantastically nice features. 

“Well Harley, sometimes a man has to think over things by himself.” Joker smiled, then stopped as they came to the greenhouse. He frowned slightly, looking up at the glass structure. 

Harleen looked up at the greenhouse too, then smiled at him. “Wanna go inside?” 

Joker flicked the burning butt of his cigarette into the snow and shot a grin at Harleen. “Sure.” 

Harleen giggled and reached for the door. She tried to open it, but the door was rusted shut. Joker watched her with amusement as she struggled with the door for a few seconds. He thought about helping her, but decided not to. Watching her get angry was funny. He also liked the fact that she wasn’t asking for his help. 

Harleen snarled at the door. “Come on, open damn you!” 

She struggled for a few more seconds, kicking the door, then finally she yanked back putting all her strength and weight into her efforts and the door popped open. Harleen yelped, falling onto her rear in the snow. 

Joker started to laugh, and continued to laugh harder when she gave him a dirty look. She wrinkled her nose in annoyance as she stood up. Snow had soaked through her coat, dress, and hose, and slid down her boots. Harleen wipe snow off her rear, glaring at him while Joker leaned over and put his hands to his knees, laughing still. 

She sighed then chuckled, which slowly turned into a full laugh. They laughed together for a few seconds before Harleen giggled and took him by the arm, glancing back at Zach who was watching them with a confused expression and led him into the greenhouse. 

* 

The greenhouse was huge with a high arched glass ceiling, like a church, and while the greenhouse seemed to be abandoned, the plants inside had taken over. Greenery grew up the sides of the greenhouse blocking some of the windows, full flowering plants grew everywhere, and the temperature inside was warm--not hot--but warm enough for the plant life to flourish. 

Harleen gasped looking around. “How is this possible? I would have thought the plants would die without someone caring for them.” 

Joker pursed his lips as he looked around. “I think Ivy probably had a hand in this last time she was here.” 

Harleen turned to look at him questioning. “Ivy?” 

Joker smiled. “Poison Ivy. She has a thing with plants, I’m sure you’ll meet her eventually. She’ll do something stupid and get herself thrown in here again. She’s like me, a rotating visitor.” He chuckled slipping out of his coat and tossing it over a large, flowering bush. 

He stepped closer to Harleen, watching her. She was smiling, turning around in a circle looking at the wide variety of plants that were thriving in the abandoned greenhouse. 

He surprised her by grabbing her and pulling her into his arms. 

Harleen gasped in surprise when he pressed her against his chest. He smirked, taking her right hand in his, his other arm around her waist. Harleen stared into his hypnotic blue eyes, gently laying her free hand against his shoulder. Joker continued to smile as he slowly began to glide her around the greenhouse in the steps of a waltz. 

Harleen had no idea how to waltz, but Joker moved with ease and grace. Harleen picked up the steps and pattern quickly, moving with him as if she had always been dancing with him. 

Joker grinned at her and whispered. “Would you like to know what I’ve been thinking about?” 

Harleen stared back at him before she whispered. “Yes, yes I would.” 

Joker chuckled, pulling her under the heavy leaves of a tree in the far corner of the greenhouse. Harleen’s heart beat so hard and fast that it filled her ears. Joker smiled down at her, reaching up with one hand to drag his fingertips along her cheek while he stared into her eyes. 

“I’ve been trying to deny it, ignore it, but you…” He hissed as his fingertips stroked over her lips and down her chin. “You stir things in me I didn’t know I could feel…” His eyes moved over her face again. Harleen was barely breathing, careful not to move. She sensed this situation could go either way; he could kill her or not. 

“I don’t like it…” he whispered. “New feelings…” Joker continued to explore her face with his fingertips and gaze while at the same time he walked her back against the tree until her back pressed against the trunk. The trunk of the tree felt oddly warm. 

“I usually want to crush things that make me feel anything other than laughter. I’ve been trying to deny it, deny what you make me think about, make me want...” He smiled slowly studying her. “Did you know that?” 

Harleen swallowed, but didn’t answer. She blinked and continued to meet his gaze, her blue eyes locked with his blue eyes. 

Joker’s chuckle was low and dark. “But I’ve decided that I like how you make me feel. I’ve decided I want you.” His voice was a low, growling purr. “I want you, and for better or worse, you are going to be mine.” 

Joker pressed himself up against her, pinning her to the tree, pressing one of his legs between hers, his mouth coming down on hers. His hands grasped her waist, holding her for a moment before sliding up to her ribs. He kissed her deeply, his tongue sliding into her mouth, caressing her tongue in slow burning strokes. 

Harleen whimpered as her arms went around his neck, her hands sliding into the fullness of his hair. She pulled herself tight against him, pressing the burning throb between her legs against his thigh even as her mind yelled at her to stop, this was against her doctor’s code, this was against everything she had told herself she wanted, a career, the respect of being a doctor, to help people with real, neurotic and psychotic troubles, but she couldn’t stop herself. 

She hadn’t realized how much she wanted this until he kissed her. 

Joker’s hand slid up higher, cupping her breast, his mouth moving over hers, then down to the corner of her jaw. He squeezed her breast before reaching up to pull her turtleneck away from her throat. His tongue traced the slope of her throat down to just above the bruise at her throat. He licked her skin slowly, his tongue snaking over her throat, sending shivers that raced down her spine and pooled in her nipples. 

Then Joker pressed his teeth against her throat and he bit her. Harleen gasped with pleasure rather than in pain while Joker pressed her against the tree. 

Joker sucked on her throat, his hands skating back down to her breasts. He squeezed gently, his thumbs brushing over the fabric of her dress where he felt the hardness of her nippples. Even though there were three layers of fabric between his hands and the skin of her breasts, Harleen felt his touch like a burn on her skin. She moaned deeply and felt every part of her was suddenly alive. 

Joker pressed his lips, warm and soft, against her ear. “Now you have a mark from me.” He licked her ear, sending goosebumps racing across her skin before he caught her earlobe in his teeth. He brought his leg up just a little, pressing against her groin. He could feel the heat between her legs which made him harder for her. 

Harleen was breathless. She grabbed his hair in her hands, forcing his head back, attacking his throat. She purred, dragging her tongue against throat. Joker growled in the back of his throat, turning Harleen on even more with the sound. She attacked his throat, determined to leave her own mark on his pale flesh. 

Joker shuddered. His groin ached, pressed against her leg, her mouth on him, the feel of her warm, wet tongue made him want to drag her to the ground and bury himself inside her, while he wanted to also continue this torture. He had never felt anything as soft as Harley, had never been attacked like this, ever touched liked this--ever cared to--her hands in his hair, moving over his chest made him feel crazed with need. Then there ws her mouth, her kisses. He had never kissed like this. His want for her, that had been burning in his gut and thoughts, was now a full consuming fire. She was his, there was no way he could avoid it now. Harleen Quinzel, Harley Quinn, was his girl. 

He dropped his hands to her hips, grasping her dress, dragging the cloth up above her thighs. His fingers traced the lines of the garter belt against her skin, then along the lace where her panties pressed against her flesh, bringing a smile to his lips. 

He chuckled softly, brushing his nose against hers, his mouth moving over hers in an erotic kiss of twisting tongues and nipping teeth. “Harley…my Harley…” 

Harleen kept hearing all the reasons why this was wrong floating in her head like dust on the breeze, quickly blown away, and she knew she was lost. He grasped her breast again, his thumb brushed over her nipple again and she purred in response… 

“My Joker…” 

Neither of them aware of eyes on them.


	11. I'm Burning For You

The last few days had been busy, too busy. 

Harleen almost suspected that someone was purposely keeping her from spending time with Joker. She had to skip both of her sessions with him because of other commitments (that she was pressured into, she felt) in the asylum, from helping Dr. Sinner with Edward Nygma (who kept insisting everyone call him the Riddler and driving everyone up the wall with his incessant riddles and condescending attitude) to some issues with another patient, Margaret Pye whose obsession with shiny objects had her attacking one of the other patients over their fillings which had caught the light just right in the rec room. Pye jumped him to try to pull his teeth out. 

Harleen’s nights were plagued with erotic dreams, dreams of her hands exploring ghost white skin, hot, passionate kisses, Joker’s fingers stroking her breasts, between her legs, the hot feel of him between her legs… Harleen woke up the last two mornings in a fine sweat, her body aching all over, but it was the deeper ache between her legs that really woke her. What did she want from Joker? She wanted to cure 

him. Or did she want something else? She understood her attraction, he was handsome in a strange way, his personality compelling, and when his full attention was on her, it felt like a drug, those blue eyes pulling her in. But the most exciting part, the tantalizing part of their kiss, was that she was sure he had felt just as strongly about her as she did him. God! This was so wrong she tried to remind herself. 

As she sat up in bed, Harleen hoped this morning would be better, hoped she would get to see him. She was looking forward to seeing Joker. More of a need if she was honest, a need that ached deep in her soul, not just physically, but mentally. After the kiss they shared she felt a strong yearning to kiss him again. It was wrong, she knew, and yet… 

Harleen frowned, only now realizing what song was playing on her radio, which had snapped on with her alarm, the sounds of the Carpenters singing “Close to You.” She frowned while listening to the lyrics.... 

“Just like me, they long to be 

Close to you…” 

Harleen giggled, her cheeks turning red. Well, that song was certainly reading her mind. She wanted to get close to him. 

She pushed herself out of bed and hurried to shower. 

* 

She had pulled on a black, long sleeved V-neck knit top, paired with a dark red vest and a matching red Goucho skirt along with her favorite boots. She had carefully styled her hair and done her makeup, all with an eye to pleasing Joker. Once she was dressed, she threw on her doctors coat and grabbed her coat before heading out since the snow had been coming down nonstop for the last few days. Harleen smiled. It looked as if they were going to have a white Christmas this year. As she made her way downstairs, she thought about giving Joker a gift for the holiday, except she wasn’t sure what that would be. It would have to be something small, something he could keep secret. 

She would have to think about it more, but she had a few more weeks until the holiday. She would either think of something or feel him out on the matter. Pressing her lips together on a smile, she forcefully reminded herself about how inappropriate this whole thing was, about how she should never have kissed him. 

By the time she went down to the cafeteria her guilt had told her that she was going to quickly get their relationship back on the proper keel, doctor and patient. 

But her heart whispered to her of the things she really wanted. 

* 

Wyndham was waiting for her, as usual, with coffee and a large plate of hot, scrambled (if rubbery) eggs, toast, and some sausage links. 

“Morning beautiful!” Wyndham called out with a bright smile, which got him a few looks from the other patrons of the cafeteria, some people giggling and whispering while others simply gave disapproving looks. 

“Good morning Wyndham,” Harleen said as she approached his table and took a seat. The sight and smell of the food made her stomach growl. She tried to ignore the affectionate kiss to her cheek and the smile he gave her, but it was difficult. She kept telling herself as she sat that this was the guy she should be thinking about, dreaming about, not some killer, but she couldn’t stop herself. Joker filled her mind. Maybe part of her building obsession was because she thought she was making progress with him, that his opening up to her, sharing her affection was her way of curing him, but a darker part of her--a part she tried not to listen to--whispered that she knew that wasn’t the reason. Joker stirred something dark inside her, something buried deep. He excited a lust in her that she didn’t know before that she had, something so hot, so wild and untamed laid caged deep inside her. 

Harleen swallowed, quickly grabbing her coffee. The hot caffeine cleared her head, and she swallowed, wincing at the burn which she covered by pushing her glasses up her nose. 

Wyndham leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Good morning. I have a surprise, I’m going into the city this evening and I’m bringing back that dinner I promised.” 

Harleen looked up at him confused, not remembering him saying anything about dinner. “What?” She picked up her fork to start on her eggs. 

Wyndham grinned, reaching over to gently push her glasses up her nose. “I’ve placed an order at that fancy French restaurant owned by Bruce Wayne…” He frowned then brightened. “Wayne presents The Versailles.” He grinned at her, clearly pleased with himself. “I took the liberty of ordering for you, but I think you’ll like it. I thought we could have dinner in my apartment.” He smiled softly at her which set off all of Harleen’s alarm bells, but she wasn’t sure how to refuse; so she didn’t. 

“Sounds nice,” she replied while stuffing eggs into her mouth. 

Wyndham grinned, pleased with himself before he stole another kiss on her cheek and set into his own breakfast. The increase in kisses made Harleen feel almost like he was marking his territory. 

* 

The morning meeting annoyed Harleen. There was a brief note about a missing nurse, no one Harleen knew, but the rest of the meeting bored her, since it consisted mostly of Dr. Huntoon and Dr. Sinner arguing back and forth loudly about the treatment of a patient. Huntoon--as usual--had stuck his big nose in thinking he knew better than Dr. Sinner on how to handle the patient they were arguing about based mostly on the fact that he was a man. 

Dr. Arkham sat in the meeting looking like he was coming down off a high, his eyes bloodshot behind his glasses while Dr. Strange did little to stop the arguing. His lack of input made Harleen wonder if he was waiting for this to come to blows so he could do something more permanent, like fire Huntoon. 

Either way, the argument continued until Dr. Cavensdish slammed his hands on the table and yelled that both of them were getting on his nerves and needed to shut up before he pumped them both so full of drugs that they would be drooling patients by the end of the hour. 

That was when Dr. Strange had finally stood up telling Huntoon and Sinner to come with him to his office. 

Harleen gave Dr. Sinner a thumbs up of encouragement to which she responded by miming hanging herself with a noose. 

* 

The sound of her heart beating filled her ears as Harleen walked down to her office. This was going to be their first session since the kiss, two days with her being unable to see him, but with her thoughts focused on him… 

She felt like a high schooler about to see her crush. She was both excited and terrified. What if he acted like nothing had happened? 

She frowned and pressed her lips together as she entered her office to wait. No, she would keep this professional. The kiss was an abnormality she wouldn’t let happen again. She was his doctor and she was here to help him. 

She kept repeating the words to herself until she almost believed them. 

* 

The sound of her pen against the paper in her office was the only sound when she heard Joker’s voice ringing clearly down the hall. She smiled, biting her bottom lip. He was singing! 

“She's got something that moves my soul 

And she knows I'd love to love her 

But she lets me down every time 

Can't make her mine she's no-one's lover 

Tonight with me she'll be so inviting 

I want her all for myself…” 

* 

Harleen felt her heart do a little flip. Was he singing for her? She felt her cheeks turn red at the thought that he might be singing for her. 

His voice, clear and beautiful, came down the hall sending shivers along her spine. 

“Temptation eyes looking through my-my-my soul 

Temptation eyes, you got to love me 

Got to love me tonight…!!!” 

Cash’s voice cut through Joker’s song. “Will you shut up!” 

Joker laughed. “Sorry Cash my darling, I can’t! I’m just too happy this morning!!” 

Cash snarled in response. “I don’t know what you got to be so happy about, it’s just a fucking shower.” 

Harleen frowned then smiled, Oh yes, she had forgotten that she had gotten him shower privileges. Up to now he had only been allowed to sponge bathe, which was a washcloth and some water, but with some persistence she had gotten Joker once a week shower privileges. He would be escorted to the showers where he would be allowed to shower by himself. She was surprised that her request had been granted by Strange upon her first request. 

She heard Joker laugh in response to Cash. “That’s not the only reason I’m in a good mood, my darling. I get to see my doctor! Dr. Quinzel is a genius! She is helping me pick at all those dark and dirty secrets I have been denying. It’s very cleansing. You should try it Cash. I bet you have all sorts of dark and dirty secrets…” 

“Shut up!” Cash responded, which only made Joker laugh and launch back into his song. 

“Temptation eyes looking through my-my-my soul 

Temptation eyes, you got to love me 

Got to love me tonight 

Tonight with me she'll be so exciting 

I want her all for myself!!” 

Harleen jumped a little when she heard the knock on her door as Joker’s voice trailed off to a whisper, but she still heard the words. “Temptation eyes...you got to love me…” 

“Shut up Joker and stop calling me darling,” Cash responded with a hiss, then knocked again. “Dr. Quinzel?” 

“Yes--enter,” Harleen said, trying to keep her voice even and professional as she pushed her glasses up her nose. 

The door opened and Joker was shoved inside. He stumbled, his feet almost coming out of the pink slippers he wore, but he was all smiles. “Good morning, Dr. Quinzel!” He drew out her last name in a way that sent shivers along her spine. “You look delightful this fine winter morning!” 

Cash snarled and poked Joker hard in the ribs. “Watch your mouth!” he growled, poking Joker again, causing the taller man to jerk in pain. 

Harleen licked her lips proud of herself that she kept her voice level and professional, but her good intentions were quickly fleeing now that he was here. Joker's presence filled the small room, caressing her skin and set her on fire. She struggled to hold onto her good intentions. “Good morning Joker. How are you?” 

Joker grinned as he was shoved down in the chair across from her, with Cash and yet another guard she didn’t know quickly cuffing his ankles to the chair. 

“Oh, I’m doing a very good doc! Been sleeping like a baby, looking forward to a decent shower, though I don't know why I can’t shower with the rest of the dudes.” He grinned knowing exactly why as he drew out saying “dudes” to a ridiculous level before he continued. “Getting to shower every night is going to be very nice though.” He gave Harleen a wink, which forced her to cover her smile with her hand. She dropped her eyes. Her emotions were in turmoil, seeing him. Being in his presence had her nerves on end, heat and electricity rushing through her. Every thought of how this was wrong was being chased away by her attraction, her need to be close to him. She felt a tremor in her body, like an addict who had found their drug of choice. 

What was wrong with her? 

She cleared her throat. “Thank you Mr. Cash.” 

Cash nodded. “Be right outside Doc.” 

The guard gave Joker a glare before he stepped out and closed the door behind him. 

Joker’s smile grew and made his eyes sparkle. “Hello gorgeous.” 

Harleen felt her heart flutter as she stood up and stepped over to him. “How are you doing, really?” she asked before she squatted down to uncuff his ankles. She brushed her fingers against his bare ankles, which caused Joker to close his eyes, taking a deep breath through his nose at the caress of her fingers. Her touch set a fire burning in his gut, a burn he never knew he had. If he wasn’t already crazy, she was driving him there. 

He smiled slowly. This was the kind of crazy he could get used to. 

“I’m doing all right sweets. Missed you,” he whispered, finding that he meant it. He stood up once she had released the cuffs. He felt the caress of her fingers along his ankles before she stood up, pocketing the key. Their gazes locked as she walked around to start on the straps of his jacket. 

“I appreciate the shower privileges,” he added. “Washing with a rag gets tiresome.” 

Harleen smiled working her way slowly down the straps of his straightjacket, her heart beating loudly in her ears with a mix of excitement and fear, what would he do once she had him free? 

“I missed talking to you too,” she said softly as the jacket sides separated and she could see that he wasn’t wearing a shirt again, his pale, bare back exposed. The sight of his pale back caused heat to rush through her and exploded in places that made her ache. She sucked on her bottom lip, her fingertips brushing against his ghost white skin as she gently pulled the jacket free. 

Once she had the jacket open, she slowly ran her fingers under the cloth and over his shoulders. Joker closed his eyes at her touch, letting the heat melt into him. He slowly shrugged out of the straightjacket, dropping the jacket across her desk once he was free of it. 

Harleen walked slowly around to face him, her heartbeat drumming so loud she thought the sound had to echo in her small office. Her thoughts of professionalism, of helping him, of being his doctor were chased away by the heat in his gaze. He smiled as his eyes raked over her. God, her heart was beating so loudly she was surprised he couldn’t hear it! She wasn't sure what he was going to do--hurt her, kiss her, kill her? 

Did she care? 

They both stood still for a long few seconds, neither of them moving, their eyes locked, with the only sound their breathing. Suddenly his hand snapped out and grasped her around the throat. 

His fingers held her firmly, but not choking. Harleen went still, a small gasp escaping her lips as he gazed at her, studying her. Harleen didn’t move, simply gazed back at him. 

Joker smiled, adjusting his grip on her throat, just a little, his fingers feeling the quickening of her pulse. He reached up with his free hand and removed her glasses, tossing them onto her desk. 

Quickly he twisted, nearly knocking over the chair as he shoved her up against the wall, his hand still around her throat. Harleen kept her gasp quiet, her heart beating quicker, her hands pressed against the wall behind her while his fingers around her neck began to stroke the side of her throat gently. He leaned in close to her, his lips hovered by her ear, and his body was pressed against her as he sniffed, breathing in her scent. 

Joker brushed his nose against her ear, then in her hair. He inhaled softy, his lips hovering as he explored her face with his breath, his lips continuing to hover just over her skin, stopping every other second to inhale. She could feel his breath as he breathed her in. This close, she could smell his scent, masculine combined with something else, a spicy scent that set her clitoris to throbbing, her nipples hardening with excitement. All thoughts were gone except for her want, her need to be close to him, close to the Joker. 

“Mm...shall I kiss you?” he asked in a whisper with a tinge of amusement, his dark blue eyes slowly moving to stare into her much lighter blue eyes. “Shall it be soft and sweet, or hard and demanding? Maybe hungry, filled with need?” he asked, his voice soft, but she could detect the purr in the back of his throat. She felt his arousal against her, which only fueled her own. 

Harleen swallowed, but she smiled at him and all her doubts for the moment were gone. She only wanted one thing right now, only one thing she needed from him.. “I don’t care,” she whispered. “Just kiss me Mistah J.” 

Joker’s smile spread across his face and reached his eyes. He liked the way she said Mistah J, her accent becoming thicker in a way that curled in his gut, evoking a pulse in his groin. He kept his hand around her throat at the same time he kissed her, pressing his lips against her soft, pink lips. Harleen’s hands went to his waist, feeling the heat of his skin in her hands as she gripped his waist, tugging him closer. Joker opened his mouth to slide his tongue into her mouth in a deeper kiss. Harleen let out a soft groan, her tongue slowly licking his tongue before he plunged his tongue deeper into her mouth, pressing his pelvis against her. 

Her hands snaked around from his waist to his rear, sliding over the rough cloth of his pants to grip his rear, pulling him tighter against her. Touching him felt almost like a religious experience! She had dreamed about touching him, wanting to feel his body, his skin under her hands, and now she was touching him. She dug her fingers in a little. Joker growled at her touch. His hand on her throat, gentle and soft against her skin, slid up to her jaw, holding her face firmly while he continued to kiss her, his tongue exploring her mouth for several intense minutes. 

Harleen explored his mouth just as eagerly, her tongue sliding against his with a needy desperation that he matched before dragging his tongue from her mouth to trace the line along her jaw to her ear. Harleen’s eyes rolled with pleasure as his tongue and teeth tickled her skin. Joker licked her ear before finding the tender spot just under and behind her ear. He licked that spot, sending ripples through her body. Harleen groaned breathlessly. 

His mouth worked down from her ear to her throat where he licked at her pulse before brushing his teeth against her skin, his fingers slowly drifting from her jaw to caress the front of her throat. She hissed softly, her pelvis bucking against him, feeling his arousal against her. Feeling him only made her wet with her own arousal. She had never felt anything like this before. His kiss was like being burned. She could feel his kiss pooling in her nipples and down to her groin. She felt heavy and on fire, the beat of her heart centered in her nipples and her clitoris made a throb that ached with need. Her breath came in soft pants followed by a hiss of pleasure when he pulled her shirt away from the slope of her neck to bite her. 

Harleen breathed deeply, stopping her urge to moan loudly. Her head dropped back against the wall as he went back to lick her ear, tracing the outline of her ear with the tip of his tongue before he caught the lobe of her ear with his teeth. His hand at the front of her throat slowly glided down her throat, sliding down to her breast. He cupped her breast over her clothing, but his touch burned through her clothing. She brought her hands up to caress his back, feeling tiny scars along with thicker ones against his white skin. At the same time she his lean, strong muscles beneath her fingertips, caressing him before she moved her hands to his hair. Feeling the thick green curls of his hair, she grasped hard, which made Joker laugh, a deep, low chuckle against her throat. She felt his laugh deeply, turning her on even more. 

His hand slowly circled her breast, tracing the outline of her full breast with his fingertip. He reached down and slowly unfastened the buttons of the vest she wore, letting the vest drop open before his hand came up to cup her breast again while he slowly kissed her deeply, his tongue tracing the shape of her lips before sliding into her mouth again and catching the soft sound she made. He smiled, feeling her nipple pressing against the fabric of her top. He traced the line of her bra before he circled her nipple with his fingertips. Touching her made his erection throb, and he could only imagine what touching her skin would be like. Harley made another little noise when his fingertips brushed her nipple, a soft, sweet hiss of pleasure that he wanted to devour. He wanted to hear all the sounds she would make when he touched her. 

Every. Single. Sweet. Sound. 

Every inch of Harleen was on fire. She dropped her hands to caress his sides, reached down to touch the waistband of his pants. She wanted to touch him, wanted to feel that hardness in her hands, to hear him moan, but didn’t dare. She didn’t know if she could stop herself once she touched him, so she contented herself with caressing his stomach, feeling the play of muscles under his smooth skin. The way he twitched at her touch aroused her even more, combined with his fingers playing with her nipple, she thought she might burn up. 

When Joker grabbed her and pulled her away from the wall, lifting her slightly to place her on the edge of her desk, she had to bite her tongue not to yelp in surprise. He set her on the desk and pressed himself between her legs. Harleen wrapped her legs around his waist as he pulled her to the very edge of the desk, his mouth back to hers, his tongue lapping at her while his hand at her breast, cupped and squeezed. Harleen slid the tips of her fingers past the band of his pants, gliding down to feel the soft skin of his backside, not too far, but...oh… 

Joker adjusted his hold on her, pressing his hard arousal against hers, rubbing just a little while he kissed her, his tongue sliding over her chin to her throat again while pressing his groin against her. Harleen made a soft groan as the hard mound of him rubbed against her. She adjusted her legs, rubbing herself against him while he pinched her nipple, his tongue deep inside her mouth. Just a little more, another grind against her throbbing clitoris; she was wet, throbbing. She knew she would climax. Joker kissed her more aggressively, thrusting against her when the desk made a loud squeal as it was shoved a few inches across the floor. 

That was when they both heard the knock at the door. “Dr. Quinzel? Everything all right in there?” 

Harleen swallowed, dropping her hands back behind her to keep herself upright on the desk at the same time struggling to catch her breath, almost shoving Joker off of her, but she didn’t. He dropped his hands to her hips holding onto her while his lips brushed along her throat to her ear. 

“No, no, everything is all right!” she called out as Joker grasped her earlobe with his teeth. 

“You sure Dr. Quinzel?” Cash had heard the sound of the desk move like it had been shoved. His first thought was that Joker had somehow gotten free and had attacked the doctor. She was young and pretty, and she wouldn’t stand a chance against that maniac Cash thought, a sick feeling in his gut. He put his hand on the knob of the door, not sure whether he should just go in, but he knew if nothing was wrong and he barged in Dr. Quinzel would be upset and she would feel like he didn’t trust her to handle her patient, and then she wouldn’t trust him. 

Granted her patient was the damn Joker, but… 

Cash waited and called out again. “Dr. Quinzel?” 

Harleen was struggling to keep her voice calm while Joker’s tongue traced her ear before he dropped his mouth to her throat where he bit her in a sensual kiss, a mix of pain and pleasure. The bite replaced by the stroke of his tongue only to bite her ear again, tugging sensually on her ear with his teeth. She bit her bottom lip, her eyes rolling with pleasure. 

“Yes. Yes Mr. Cash...everything is fine.” Harleen eyes rolled again as Joker pinched her nipple, sending a cascade of pleasure through her. “Just...just accidentally moved my desk when I stood.” 

She felt Joker’s smile against her ear as he bit her earlobe again and continued stroking his fingers over her nipple. 

“Okay, well if you’re sure Doctor.” Cash frowned staring at the door. Did the doctor sound funny? 

“Yes, yes, I’m sure, everything is fine,” Harleen called back while Joker stuck his tongue into her ear, sending shivers down her spine. “Just ah, almost done.” 

Joker growled against her ear. “Not even close to done.” He squeezed her breast, but he stepped back enough grasping her waist and pushing her back on her feet reluctantly. “Come to my room tonight,” Joker purred against her mouth. 

Harleen responded by licking his mouth, her hands caressing the back of his neck, playing with the short hairs there. “I can’t until late. Dr. Vane is bringing me dinner.” 

Joker went still. “What?” His voice was low and dangerous as his head tilted a barely perceptible amount. 

Harleen frowned. “He is going into Gotham to bring back an expensive dinner. I didn’t know about it until he told me this morning.” 

Joker yanked her against him, turning once more to press her against the wall. His lips hovered over hers as he held her against the wall, his hand back around her throat, he held her firmly in place making Harleen wonder again if he was going to hurt her, and finding the excitement of not knowing sent a thrill of pleasure through her. 

“Don’t go,” he snarled. 

Harleen stared back at him, a smile tugging at her lips as she saw the jealousy in his gaze. “I’ll get out of it,” she whispered. 

Joker purred rubbing his nose against hers at the same time he stroked her throat with the tips of his fingers, though his grip remained firm, there was steel in his voice.. “Good. You’re mine. You belong to me. Anyone ever touches you, I’ll kill them.” 

Harleen felt a ripple of excitement roll through her when he said that she belonged to him. His possessive statement went against everything she had thought she wanted from a man, but she found herself turned on, wet with knowing he saw her as belonging to him. She liked it more than she cared to admit, but she wasn’t going to let him know that--not yet anyway. 

“I’ll come by tonight when I can,” she whispered, keeping her smile in check knowing there was a cruel part of her personality because she knew as soon as she said the words that they would irritate him. “I’ll try to get out of dinner if I can.” She felt his grip on her throat tighten as she said. “We should get you back in your jacket.” 

Joker’s gaze was a mix of passion and irritation as he stared into her eyes before he sighed and released his hold on her to step back. Harleen swallowed and walked over to her desk, picking up both her glasses and the straightjacket, reluctantly helping him back into it before walking around to pull the straps in place. As she was putting the cuffs on around his ankles, Joker asked matter-of-factly. 

“How would you feel if another woman touched me?” 

Harleen went still, crouched down by his leg, and stared at the floor with a scowl on her face. The instant rage moving through her was hot, fast, and surprised her, but she said passionately. “I would do something I might regret.” 

Joker smiled. “Mm, I like that.” He tilted his head and whispered. “Wear a dress when you come see me tonight.” 

She stood up and brushed her fingers through his hair, straightening the green curls before doing her own, buttoning her vest and adjusting her top. 

Harleen blushed softly and whispered. “Fine, I’ll wear a dress.” 

Joker grinned with pleasure as he watched her with a smile. The ache in his groin was intense but enjoyable. 

* 

After Joker had been taken from her office, Harleen laid her head against her desk, her doubts rushing in. What was she doing?? She took several deep breaths to calm herself, but the memory of his lips, his tongue, his touch, she knew she was lost. She just didn’t know when she had become so lost… 

She took another breath, swallowed, taking a few minutes to collect herself. The tension in her body was almost unbearable. Her nipples were so sensitive just the rub of her bra against her was arousing. She took a few more deep breaths, trying to calm herself, to will the throb between her legs down. After she was sure she was more or less together, she headed out. She had other patients to see, but she knew she would be thinking about Joker all day. 

She might be his, but he was also hers, after all. Hers and hers alone. 

* 

Joker sucked on his bottom lip as he was led from Harley’s office back to his rooms. He would be getting his shower this evening. He had been honest; he was looking forward to a real shower. As he was led down the hall, Joker dwelled on the scent of her, the feel of her mouth, the taste of her skin, the weight and fullness of her breasts. He had never wanted anything or anyone like he wanted Harley. It made him angry, but...it was exciting. She had found a weakness in him he didn’t know he had… 

Her. 

* 

By the time early evening arrived, Harleen had forgotten about Wyndham and his dinner. She was focused on getting back to her room, showering and headed to Joker’s room. She went to her room, humming softly to herself unaware she was humming the song she had heard on her radio that morning. 

She slipped on a light blue floral silk wrap dress. It was thin for the cold weather, but she liked the dress, the way it flowed and wrapped around her figure and the deep V-neckline was daring. 

She slipped on her boots again and once more donned her doctors coat after she feathered her hair and applied her makeup. She grabbed her coat and headed out. 

She had gone downstairs and stopped short when she saw Dr. Vane wearing slacks and a casual dark burgundy dress shirt and a black sports jacket. “Harleen!” He had a couple of carry-out bags with him. “I was just coming to get you. Talk about perfect timing!” 

Harleen had to quickly school her features. “Hi, yeah. Isn’t that great timing?” 

Wyndham came over and took her hand. “It’s snowing outside, so we might want to jog to my building so the food stays hot.” 

Not knowing what to say, Harleen simply nodded as he pulled her along. 

* 

Wyndham Vane’s apartment was much larger than Harleen’s place and his furniture was much, much nicer. His living room was small, but he had a burnished gold color couch with matching chairs, a coffee table, and a nice television. The walls were painted unlike hers, in a soft yellow and he had several abstract paintings hanging on the walls. 

Wyndham smiled as he held the door open for her. “Just make yourself comfortable. I have a bottle of wine and I grabbed some cups, only paper, but they’ll do.” He laughed and shrugged as he closed the door behind them. 

Harleen swallowed, glancing at the door nervously, but she removed her coat, taking her doctor’s coat with it and folded them over one of the arm chairs. 

Wyndham set the bags down on the coffee table and walked over to the turntable he had with several records. He took a few minutes looking through them before he pulled out a record and set it on the turntable. Harleen frowned slightly as “Midnight At The Oasis” began playing. He smiled at her as he came back over to the bags of food and began to pull out the containers of food, along with some plastic utensils, the bottle of wine, and some paper cups. “I got us two orders of brandished pork chops with pearl onions and grapes, some white wine, and some cheesecake for dessert.” 

Harleen kept her sigh in check as she walked over to sit down on the couch next to him as he set out the dinner for them. “Thank you, it sounds delicious.” 

They ate dinner, with Harleen taking small sips of wine while they mostly discussed work, though she did notice that Wyndham was careful to keep the conversation away from the Joker and kept it mostly about asylum gossip while Harleen did her best not to look at the clock that hung on Wyndham’s wall. 

* 

Joker lay on his bunk waiting. The shower had been refreshing, but he had been thinking about her, about Harley, her body dripping with water, her blonde hair sticking to her... 

He licked his lips thinking about the hair between her legs, glistening with drops of water. If he hadn’t been watched, he would have relieved some of the tension in his body. Maybe it was better to wait until he could be with her though...such exquisite agony, the waiting. 

Now he was waiting to build that tension further with her, to taste her mouth again, to feel the beat of her heart in her throat, to touch her, to feel her body pressed against him. To drive each other crazy… 

He frowned, staring up at the ceiling. He hated waiting. Even worse was the realization that someone had power over him, but even as he thought this, he grinned. He thought he could get use to that--for her. 

For Harley, he could get use to anything... 

* 

Sipping her wine, Harleen took a quick glance at the clock while Wyndham wasn’t looking. She had been here over an hour. She tried to keep herself from sighing while taking another sip of her drink. She had noticed that Wyndham had downed four glasses of wine while she was still working on her first. She could tell he was a little tipsy. 

Wyndham had moved closer after they had finished dessert, his hip touching hers. Harleen had moved away once or twice, but she was almost to the end of the couch. 

Wyndham smiled reaching out to brush his fingers along her jaw. “You really are beautiful, do you know that?” 

Harleen smiled, blushing a little. “Thank you.” 

He brushed one of her blonde, feathered curls back behind her ear before he set his glass of wine down and reached out to pluck her glasses off her face. Harleen let a startled yelp make a grab for them, but Wyndham laughed holding them out of her grip. 

“I’ll give them back in a minute. I just wanted to see you without them.” He set her glasses on the coffee table. “You have the most beautiful blue eyes,” he whispered, cupping her cheek and turning her to face him. 

Harleen frowned, feeling defenseless without her glasses. When Joker had taken her glasses off, she had felt exposed, but not vulnerable. It was a subtle difference, but with Joker she felt out of control in a way that she liked. Here with Wyndham, she felt out of control in a way that made her slightly sick to her stomach. 

She swallowed and took a breath. “I feel strange without my glasses,” she whispered. 

Wyndham moved closer. “You have pretty eyes Harleen. Everything about you is beautiful.” He gazed down over her, his vision moving over her body then along her legs; his eyes lingering on her cleavage when they traveled back up her body before moving back to her eyes. “You are a very beautiful woman,” he said huskily. 

Harleen pressed her lips together, swallowing. “Thank you Wyndham, but...ah, I should probably get going, early shift and all…” 

He grabbed her hand, pulling her back when she started to stand. “Don’t go Harleen--not yet.” 

She opened her mouth to protest, but Wyndham reached up and grabbed the back of her head, his fingers grasping her hair and pulled her in for a kiss, pressing his mouth against hers and forced his tongue into her mouth. Harleen stiffened. She could taste the wine on his tongue. He had been drinking more than she had during their meal and she could taste the wine now. She put her hands against his chest and pushed back, but he didn’t stop. Wyndham pulled her closer, putting a hand on her hip as he forced her back on the couch. 

Harleen began to panic. Wyndham moved his mouth down to her throat, his free hand skated down over her breast and down her stomach, reaching down to grasp the end of the dress and pull it up to stroke her leg. 

“Wyndham--please stop.” Harleen pushed against him, but instead of answering her he pressed a kiss to her mouth and stifled her protests. His free hand came up to her breast again and squeezed before trying to pull her dress aside. 

“Stop!!” Harleen pulled her mouth away from him and pushed against him. “Stop it!!” 

Wyndham frowned at her in confusion. “What’s wrong?” 

Harleen shoved at him. “Get off of me! Let me go! I want to leave!” 

Wyndham grabbed her wrists, stopping her from pushing on him. “What is wrong with you?” 

“I want to go!” Harleen yanked on her arms trying to get away from him, but he held her wrists in a painful grip. 

Wyndham narrowed his eyes. “Why? I thought we had something! You’ve been flirting with me, we’ve been sharing meals, I’ve been there for you! What is wrong with you? I thought Thanksgiving was just...” He shrugged. “I don’t know, but come on! We’re adults, we both have needs!” 

Harleen glared at him. “You’ve been drinking too much. Let me go.” 

Wyndham glared back at her and released her wrists. “Fine…” His voice dropped to a mutter. “Maybe Huntoon was right about you.” 

Harleen’s eyes widened in surprise, and her reaction surprised her even more.

She slapped him. 

Wyndham looked momentarily shocked, but then he simply glared at her. Harleen was trembling, but she quickly got to her feet, grabbed her glasses off the table, and grabbed her coat. She rushed out of his apartment, feeling Wyndham’s angry glare on her back.


	12. Behind Blue Eyes

The night air was cold as icy flakes drifted down from the night sky to glitter like crystal in the dim lights that shone from the buildings and along the path as Harleen made her way from Wyndham’s apartment across to the main part of the asylum. She tried to hold back her tears, but it was hard. She wasn’t even sure if she was crying because she was afraid, in shock, or angry. As she made her way inside the building and headed toward Joker’s cell, she realized she wasn’t just angry, she was furious! How dare Wyndham treat her that way! How dare he listen to Huntoon, of all people! She wouldn’t be surprised to find out that Huntoon was encouraging Wyndham to date her in the hopes of distracting her, of getting her off of Joker’s case, or maybe he thought if she and Wyndham got together, Harleen would give up being a doctor! Huntoon was the type of asshole who would decide you were his enemy and do everything in his power to ruin your life. She knew the type, had dealt with them all through school, college, medical school, and her residency. They came in all colors and all genders, but there had been a significant number of them who had been male. 

Because a woman doctor was always seen as weaker, less able to handle the stress of being a doctor, no matter how many women proved them wrong, there was always at least one guy like Huntoon. And now he had infected Wyndham. 

Fuck, she thought. She was more upset with Wyndham than Huntoon because she had thought he was different, that he saw her as a colleague, but the first moment she truly rebuffed him, he acted like such an asshole! 

She was hissing through her teeth in a rage by the time she arrived at Joker’s cell. She didn’t even look inside; she simply unlocked the door and slipped in, but calming herself enough that she didn’t slam the door. She turned around and faced into his cell, her back against the door and closed her eyes while she took several steadying breaths. 

Joker was lying on his cot when she came in. He’d been imagining what he was going to do to Wyndham when given the chance. Jealousy wasn't a feeling he dealt with--he never had any reason to feel jealous--but knowing that man was with Harley had him wanting to taste blood on his lips. 

When his door was flung open, he half expected to see a guard, orderlies, maybe even one of the doctors coming to try to beat some sense into him, but he was pleased when he saw it was Harley. She looked beautiful. The dress she wore was pleasingly feminine with the way it wrapped around her figure, flowing, soft pale fabric against the peaches and cream of her skin. His eyes snaked down and he bit the side of his bottom lip, his groin hardening in response to the sight of her. Further exciting him was the faint scent of vanilla that surrounded her. The need for the her set him on edge. 

He pushed himself up on his elbows with a quirked brow, his green hair falling lazily over his brow. He could practically feel the tension rolling off of her. 

“What’s up Doc?” he asked with a smile, though there was real concern in his voice. 

He could see the rise and fall of her dress in the dim light as well as hear her breathing. “Wyndham…” she said, but before she could finish her sentence Joker was on his feet. He grabbed her, pulling her into his arms and held her close. Harleen sank into his embrace. 

His lips were near her ear when he hissed, his breath a warm caress. “What did he do?” 

Harleen wrapped her arms around his slender frame and whispered. “He tried to kiss me...he grabbed my breast...I slapped him when he wouldn’t let me go...wouldn’t listen to me telling him no. Then he said I was just like Huntoon said I would be...I don’t know what he said to Wyndham, but it was probably something horrible.” 

Joker stroked her back, easing the tension from her shoulders and back, though a small smile curled his lips when Harley said she had slapped Wyndham. He felt an unreasonable amount of joy at the thought of the stuck-up doctor getting his face slapped by Harley. He couldn’t stop smiling. His jealousy that had been building slowly over the course of the day subsided. He brushed his lips against her ear, Harley relaxing even more against him. 

“Come sit down sweets,” he whispered. 

He stood back and took her hand, leading her over to his cot. He sat down and gently pulled her down to sit beside him. 

Harleen sat on the edge of Joker’s cot and sighed, all of the tension and anger draining from her. She pulled her glasses off and rubbed her eyes with her fingers. “I’m just so tired of these...doctors…” She waved her hand. “Treating me like I’m some bubble-headed blonde! Like I’m stupid when I’m just as smart as any of them.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She added with her exhale. “God, tomorrow is going to be awkward.” 

Joker brushed his fingertips across her knee in a feather soft touch, smiling when he realized she wasn’t wearing any hose, that her leg was bare. His fingers lingered on her skin, fighting with himself to touch more of her. Her skin still felt cool, but he would warm her up. 

“I’m proud of you sweets.” Joker’s smile was brilliant in the dim light as he gently reached over and plucked her glasses out of her hand and dropped them on the mattress beside them. He gave Harleen shivers of pleasure when he spoke; his words were a caress across her skin. “You are an amazing woman,” he murmured, his fingers moving from her knee to tuck some of her hair behind her ear. “I wouldn't find you so interesting Harley if you weren’t so beautiful, strong, and smart…” He leaned close to her and brushed his lips against her cheek. “And a little bit dangerous…” He brushed his lips against her ear. “You should be proud of yourself.” 

His voice sent more ripples of pleasure through her. She was proud of herself for not letting Wyndham take advantage of her, she thought, proud of herself for not giving in. Proud of herself for standing up to the likes of Dr. Roger Huntoon, the chauvinist pig! 

“Let me take your mind off of Dr. Vane, give you something more pleasant to think about…” He kissed her ear again, followed by a slow lick of his tongue along her earlobe, making her shiver. 

She turned to watch him as he hopped up on the bunk and stepped behind her before sitting down again, his legs on either side of her. He helped her remove her coat, tossing it onto the floor of his cell, then before Harleen could ask what he was doing, Joker began to massage her shoulders. 

Harleen felt herself wobble with a soft groan as he kneaded her shoulders, not realizing how tightly she had been holding herself until that moment. “Oh god, that feels great!” 

Joker’s laugh was a low, sexy chuckle. “Good. Now relax doctor, let Dr. J do his work.” 

A small voice, smaller than last time, told her to stop, to get up, get her coat, and walk away, but no one had ever listened to her before, or understood her, or even cared the way Joker did, and his touch felt so good. She groaned softly as he worked, his fingers making their way down her spine. She arched her back in pleasure as his hands worked along her sides then back up to her shoulders. He squeezed her shoulders and worked his way down her arms, leaning in to smell her hair. 

“You smell delightful,” he murmured, his shaft responding by hardening slightly. “I like the dress,” he murmured against her ear. “I like the way you wear it.” 

Harleen had her eyes closed, smiling softly; the blush on her cheeks spread to her ears. “Thank you.” 

Joker chuckled, brushing his nose against her hair. His hands moved down her back again, but then he slowly slid his hands around her, sliding along her ribs before he very slowly cupped her breasts. Harley’s happy moan made him smile. 

He closed his eyes while holding her breasts, smiling when she made another soft, breathy moan. He caught his bottom lip with his teeth, squeezing her breasts gently. He took a deep breath through his nose, feeling her nipples harden under his fingers. The breathy sighs Harley made sent more ripples of heat through him, and his shaft hardened more, the pull in his groin almost painful. When Joker started to slowly caress her nipples over her dress, Harleen felt a flash of heat and desire wash over her. She moaned again, her hands resting on his thighs as his fingers played with her nipples, his lips at her neck. He kissed her neck, followed by a slow, gentle lick. It felt so good to be touched, but to be touched by Joker...she didn’t know what it was about him. Was it that he was like a forbidden fruit she couldn’t help but taste, or was it because he was an intelligent, dangerous man? Whichever it was, she couldn’t bring herself to stop him. 

When one of his hands slipped down over her stomach to her thigh and began to pull her dress up, she took in a shuddering breath. Harleen pressed her teeth into her bottom lip, her breath becoming ragged as she leaned back against him while he continued to play with her nipples. He pulled her dress up enough that he could caress the inside of her thigh. She let her legs fall open a little wider in invitation while Joker dragged his tongue along the side of her neck, illiiciting goosebumps across her skin. She felt warm and relaxed, though her breasts and groin tingled. 

Joker whispered against her ear. “My sweet, beautiful Harley…” 

His fingers traveled up her inner thigh. Her skin was soft, silky, and she made him want her. As he moved his hand closer, he could feel the heat between her legs. Her ragged breathing made his erection hurt, swelling with need, but he enjoyed hearing her, touching her. He brushed his fingertips against her panties, causing Harley to moan louder. He smiled when he felt the lace underwear she wore and he could feel how damp they were, which only made him smile more, his erection jerking in response to her wetness. His fingers brushed along her damp panties, pressing down just a little, which earned him a jerk from Harley. He had never touched anyone before, had never wanted this sort of intimacy with anyone, but now he found himself in a strange position of wanting to please her, needing to please her. He had never felt the need to do anything for anyone but himself, yet he found this new sensation thrilling. She was important to him, very important he had come to realize, and he wanted to feel her orgasm because of him. He was more concerned about her pleasure than his own. He smiled. He didn’t dwell on the thought, instead focused on following it, on her, on pleasuring her. He gently pulled her panties aside, just enough to slide his fingers against her wetness. He smiled when he felt the curls of her hair at her sex, the curls wet from her excitement. His fingers snaked easily between her intimate lips and into the hot wetness of her excitement. He froze for a moment, unsure of what to do since this was his first time touching a woman. 

When his fingers slid against her clitoris, Harleen knew she had well and good passed the point of no return. Any chance she had of getting this thing between them under control was well and truly gone. Joker’s touch was electric. She bucked back against him with a low moan of pleasure. When he didn’t move his fingers, she gently reached down and laid her hand over his, guiding him to where he needed to touch her. Joker quickly picked up what to do and began to slide his fingers against her, smiling at the moans of pleasure she made. 

He gently pinched her nipple in response, his fingers pressing gently against her sex before he started to move them in a slow up and down motion. His middle finger caressed her gently while his other fingers brushed against her. He alternated the up and down strokes with little circles that had her writhing, her fingers pressing into his thighs. 

She had never been touched like this. There had been a couple of guys in college, but once they tried to get their hands in her pants she had jumped away from them, but Joker...with Joker she wanted to open herself up more, let him have or do whatever he wanted with her. 

Joker began to kiss his way up her throat. His strokes against her sex began to alternate between slow and teasing, mixed with a little more aggression. Discovering what pleased Harley was fun, he thought as he listened to her moans, feeling her wet, and the way she twitched. His erection was painful with his desire, but this touching her was fulfilling him in a way he could never have imagined. 

She pushed back against him, her fingers digging into his thighs, her panting becoming more and more ragged as he found the rhythm that she liked. He turned her head toward him, capturing her mouth in a deep kiss, his tongue sliding into her mouth just as his fingers slid inside her. Harley bucked against him again, her rear pressing against his erection. He groaned in response thrusting his fingers into her before pulling the back to rub his dripping fingers against her clitoris again. When she reached back to grasp the hair on the back of his head, arching into his touch, 

Joker groaned against her mouth. 

Harleen climaxed with a cry that Joker muffled with his tongue and lips. He pulled her back against him, feeling her rear shoved against his throbbing erection, but he forced himself not to orgasm--not yet, not until the moment he was ready to be embedded inside her. He gave himself a mental chuckle, never realizing what a masochist he was until this moment, denying himself like this. He continued to stroke his fingers against Harley, unwilling to let her go yet until he could hear her, feel her climax one more time, which she experienced almost immediately. She arched back against him, her fingers gripping his hair in a painful, yet pleasing grasp. 

He finally removed his fingers from her. Harley’s body, which had gone tense, relaxed against him in a loose puddle. He brought his wet fingers up to his face, smiled, and stuck them in his mouth. Harleen watched him, her cheeks red as he pulled his fingers out slowly from between his lips, then licked them with a smile. 

“Feel better now?” he asked softly. 

Harleen blushed and whispered. “Yes.” 

“Good,” Joker purred catching the side of her jaw, turning her to kiss her again, a slow, sensual kiss that made the fire in her belly burn hotter. 

He pulled away from their kiss, smiling as he picked up her glasses and handed them to her. “You should probably go.” 

Harleen looked a little confused as she slipped her glasses back on. “But…” 

He caressed her face. “Don’t worry about it sweets. I’ll see you tomorrow?” 

She nodded blushing. “Yes, of course.” 

“Good. Now--you go get some sleep.” He purred deep in his throat. “Dream about me while I dream about you.” 

When Harleen stood up, her knees felt a little wobbly, but she straightened out her dress and her hair while Joker laid down on his back, his hands behind his head watching her. 

She looked a little awkward as if she wasn’t sure what to say or do. He liked that, keeping her unsteady, but he reached out and snagged her hand to tug her down to him to kiss her. 

Harleen cupped his face and kissed him with fierce passion. She felt both lost and found at the same time. She caught his lower lip with her teeth and pulled back gently. Joker opened his eyes in surprise, then grinned as she released his lip, kissing him one more time before she stood up and without looking back, she left him alone. 

Joker sighed with a small groan, reaching down to adjust himself. He really must be a masochist he thought with a chuckle. 

* 

During the night the snow had come down thicker; at least an inch of snow lay on the ground. Her room was chilled when Harleen got up from a restless sleep. The radio had popped on, the sounds of The Who singing “Behind Blue Eyes” brought her wake. She lay on her side looking at the clock radio listening to the song with a smile. 

“No one knows what it's like 

To be the bad man 

To be the sad man 

Behind blue eyes…” 

She thought of Joker and his blue eyes. She blushed, sucking on her bottom lip as she remembered him touching her last night, the feel of his hands on her, his kisses. God, what was she going to do?! She sighed and sat up. Harleen had no idea, but she couldn’t think about that now. She needed to get ready for her shift and her confrontation with Wyndham. 

She tried not to focus too much on that as she dressed. Despite the cold, Harleen still decided to wear a dress, a long sleeve burgundy and black dress that hung to her knees, with buttons down the front. She wore hose this time, but with a garter belt this time, and her boots. She slipped on a dark red sweater that hung to her waist, though she didn’t bother to button it, and then her doctors coat over that. She just needed to be warm enough to race to the next building, she figured as she styled her hair, feathering it back, applied her makeup, and slid her glasses on. With a last look in her mirror, she nodded and headed downstairs. 

* 

When she came downstairs she didn’t expect to see Wyndham, and she didn’t, but she was surprised to see Dr. Alyce Sinner waiting for her. When Sinner saw her, she hurried over and grabbed Harleen’s arm. “Did you hear the news?” 

Harleen looked confused as Alyce dragged her over to grab coffee at the cafeteria coffee machine. “Hear what?” 

Harleen’s thoughts immediately went to the possibility that someone had seen her go into Joker’s cell or heard her cries… 

“About the body? Remember that we’ve had a couple of nurses go missing, but we all just assumed they quit? Well, one of them showed up this morning. Hank supposedly found her.” 

“What do you mean? What are you talking about?” Harleen asked as she filled her cup with black coffee. 

“The rumor going about is that Hank found her in one of the offices that no one is using…” Alyce looked around to make sure no one was listening to her. She spoke in a quick whisper. “... he thought he heard something and was thinking it was rats, but he found the body, sitting in one of the chairs in there, her elbows on the desk. The rumors are saying that her face had been skinned down to her neck, leaving only the muscle and veins behind and that her head was split to show her skull, but there was no blood.” Alyce whispered low, looking around as if worried they might see a guilty party somewhere observing them. 

Harleen looked shocked. “WHAT?” 

“Shush! No one is supposed to know. The only reason I know is that Paul, one of the guards, found Hank blubbering in the hall. Strange and Arkham are keeping this quiet and no one knows who she is, but she was wearing a nurse’s uniform. The name badge was missing though.” 

Harleen hissed. “Who could have done that?” 

“Well, Joker for one.” Alyce smiled, but Harleen frowned. “It wasn’t him.” 

“How do you know?” Alyce asked lifting a brow. 

Harleen looked annoyed, but hissed back. “I just do.” 

* 

The morning meeting was just as uncomfortable as Harleen had feared it would be, though not as bad as it could have been. Dr. Vane and Huntoon sat together, whispering together--like a couple of fucking kids she thought--with Huntoon giving her smug, all-knowing looks that made Harleen want to jump across the table and slam her fist into his stupid, superior looking face. She had never felt so much anger. She did her best to ignore them, but the fact that Wyndham was not sitting with her, let alone talking to her, had not gone unnoticed. Everyone at the table kept looking over at her, which was making her uncomfortable. If there had supposedly been a murder everyone wasn’t that interested; they seemed far too interested in her goddamn love life. 

As the meeting went on, it was clear that nothing was going to be said about the body that was supposedly found, that was until Dr. Milo raised his hand. 

“Ah, sir…” He was addressing Strange. Arkham was looking ill, pale, a bit sweaty, and was clearly not paying much attention to what was going on in the meeting. 

Strange looked up from his meeting notes. “Yes Dr. Milo?” 

“Well, several of the other doctors and I have heard that a body has been found…” Milo glanced at everyone, receiving a few nods in support. 

Strange pressed his lips into a thin line. He did not look pleased. He took a deep breath through his nose before he spoke. “The rumor of finding a body is just that, a rumor.” 

The doctors all began muttering, but Strange held his hand up to stop them. “This is a big facility, rumors are bound to start. I would hope that you all would know that if anything of consequence happens, such as the discovery of a body, you will all be informed. But as of this moment we have nothing to report. Now, can we get back to business?” 

Milo frowned, but nodded. Everyone exchanged looks, but Harleen wasn’t really listening. She was too busy ignoring Huntoon, who was giving her a superior smirk. The thought of ramming her pen, which she was currently scribbling in her notebook with, through his hand occurred to her. It was shockingly violent, more so than punching him before she tightened her hold on the pen. She shifted in her seat, ready to actually do it, but she couldn’t really be upset by the thought because she didn’t just dislike the man, she downright hated him. 

* 

The first part of Harleen’s morning was filled with some busy work, seeing a few patients and making adjustments on their medications, helping Dr. Leland with a patient, and going over some notes with Dr. Montez. Harleen listened to Miss Vale once more make a plea to speak with the Joker before having to tell her that the rumors of a body being found were false. Vicki kept Harleen stuck for nearly forty-five minutes, with the woman asking incessant questions about Joker, then the supposed body until Harleen was ready to call an orderly to take her to her room. Thank god Dr. Sinner intervened. She must have thought Harleen was being assaulted by a patient and pulled Vicki away. Harleen had watched Vicki being led away, thinking she was going to have to figure out something to do with the reporter. The thought of giving her electroshock therapy passed through her mind. Bet that would shut her up, Harleen thought with a grin. She hated electroshock, but there might be some cases, like a nosy reporter...she frowned at herself, quickly dismissing the thought. By the time she got to her office for her meeting with Joker, she already felt a little tired. 

She walked into her office flipped on the light and took her seat at her desk with a sigh before she noticed an envelope on her desk. There was nothing on the envelope, no name, no address. 

Harleen frowned, picking it up and turning it over. The envelope hadn’t been sealed. 

She pulled a letter out, unfolding it to find neatly printed handwriting. 

“Dr. Quinzel, I know all about your dalliance with a certain patient. If you want your affair to stay secret, then starting Monday morning I want a $100 a week in this envelope, every Monday morning. If not, then your secret won’t stay a secret for long. Sincerely, a concerned citizen.” 

Harleen stared at the letter, her eyes wide. Someone knew? But how? 

She sucked on her bottom lip, trembling slightly when she heard a knock on her door. “Dr. Quinzel?” It was Cash. 

Harleen jumped yanking open her drawer and shoved the paper and envelope inside. 

“Ah yes, enter.” She took a deep breath to calm herself. 

The door opened and Joker was shoved inside, followed by Cash and yet another guard she had never seen before. 

Joker stumbled inside with a wide grin. “What’s up Doc? Sleep well? I sure did! I had these dreams about dipping my fingers into honey and licking them clean...” 

Cash shoved Joker down in the chair. “Shut up you freak.” He dropped down and began cuffing Joker’s ankles to the legs of the chair. 

“Sorry Dr. Quinzel,” Cash muttered. 

Harleen swallowed, trying to smile. “It’s fine Mr. Cash.” She looked up to find the other guard staring at her. The man grinned and nodded at her. Harleen frowned and looked away as Cash finished. Could it be him? 

“All right Dr. Quinzel, me and Pete will be outside if you need us,” Cash said as he headed for the door. 

Harleen nodded. “Yes, of course. Thank you.” 

She stood up automatically once the door was closed and walked over to the door to very gently lock it before she walked over to Joker who frowned at her. 

“What’s wrong sweets?” He could tell she was distracted by something. Another revelation: her being upset bothered him. 

Harleen dropped into a crouch to undo the cuffs around his ankles. “It’s…” She stopped. Should she tell him or should she handle this herself? She pressed her lips together, but decided not to say anything about the note. This was her problem, not his, and she would take care of it. 

She smiled up at him. “It’s nothing, just work nonsense.” 

Once he was free, she turned him around to unfasten the straps at the back of his straightjacket. “Dr. Vane?” he asked, already getting angry. 

Harleen nodded as she worked the straps. “He and Dr. Huntoon were just acting like a couple of jerks,” she muttered. “It’s like being back in high school, I swear.” 

Joker shook his arms letting the jacket slide down once she had finished with the straps. He took the jacket off and dropped it into his chair. Harleen came around to face him only to see Joker grinning at her, his blue eyes sparkling. 

“You wore a dress again,” he said in a low and seductive growl. Before she had time to react, Joker grabbed her and spun her around to face her desk. He forced her down, bending her over the desk at the same time he grabbed her arms pulling them back behind her, grasping her wrists with one hand. He pressed them against her lower back, her glasses were knocked almost off her face, now at a weird angle. 

It all happened so quickly Harleen wasn’t sure what had happened until she was bent over her desk and trapped, except she immediately noticed that Joker’s hold on her wrists was tight, but not so tight that she couldn’t break free if she wanted to. She smiled staying where she was, her cheek pressed against her desk, licking her lips. 

“What’re you going to do Mistah J?” she asked softly. 

Joker chuckled. “Shh…” 

He slowly dragged the fingers of his other hand up the back of her thighs, starting at the point where her boots met her legs, his fingers caressing the back of her knees. 

“Mm...you’re wearing hose today Harley,” he whispered and smiled when his fingers brushed against the belts of her garter belt. He slowly dragged his fingers up alongside the belt, touching her bare skin. Harleen closed her eyes with a soft moan as his fingers inched higher to the end of her skirt. He tugged her skirt up, pulling it past her hips to her waist, leaving her exposed. 

Harleen licked her lips as Joker hissed, his fingers tracing the line where her panties met her skin. 

“Mm...black…” he murmured as he caressed the edges of the black lace panties. He loved how they looked against her peaches and cream skin. 

He surprised her when he reached down and unhooked her garter belts, then reached up to pull her panties down with one hand. He held her wrists while he pulled the panties down with Harleen moving her legs to help him. She shivered with anticipation, her backside bare and exposed to the slight chill of the room. 

Joker held her panties to his nose, inhaling deeply before he shoved them into his pants to keep. He caressed her rear, taking his time to admire her ass. His fingers traced the roundness, caressing the small of her back, grinning at the small freckle he found. He continued to getly caress her with feather light touches of his fingers, following the line from her tailbone down. He squeezed her ass, then gently smacked her. 

Harleen gasped in surprise, tried to turn to look at him, but he held her tight. 

“Did you like that?” Joker asked, his voice low and husky. 

Harleen thought for a moment and found that she did. “Yes,” she hissed and he smacked her again. Not hard, not really painful, just exhilarating. He smacked her then squeezed her ass, followed by another smack, more sting in this one before he kicked his slippers off and pushed her legs further apart. He licked his lips, his erection already hard and throbbing as he slipped his fingers against her. He felt the hot wetness of her curling hair between her legs before he found her sweet, dripping wet sex. He pressed himself against her, leaning down to smell her hair at the same time his fingers, now a little more sure, found her clitoris. 

Harleen bit down on her bottom lip when he touched her, her arms pressed against her lower back where he held them and struggled for a moment, but he held her tight as he leaned into her, his fingers sliding against her, finding that sensitive bud of her clitoris. 

He teased her and whispered laying against her. “Are you my girl Harley?” 

Harleen moaned. “Yes, I’m yours…” 

Joker smiled, laying his head against her back, groaning as he slipped his fingers into her. 

He groaned again, feeling her slick wetness cover his hand. “Harley...my Harley…” 

Harleen gasped, arching, but he had her pinned firmly against the desk making it hard for her to move. The desk squeaked as he thrust his fingers into her, adding another finger, then another until he had three fingers inside her. She struggled to keep her groans quiet, but what he was doing felt so good! Her boots squeaked against the floor when she twitched and jerked against his thrusts. The desk made another loud squeak as they both shoved against each other. 

“Dr. Quinzel? Everything's all right?” Cash called from the other side. 

Harleen shuddered as Joker licked her ear, his fingers moving back to her clitoris, pressing and circling. “Yes...yes everything is fine!” she called out working hard to keep her voice schooled, calm and under control. 

Joker chuckled low and deep, thrusting his fingers into her again causing Harleen’s entire body to jerk with a low hiss. “Oh god!” 

“I’m the only god here.” Joker chuckled. “God’s only child…” he mused. 

Harleen closed her eyes and groaned. “Mistah J...please…” 

Joker slid his wet fingers against her, finding the rhythm that had her gasping and twitching under him. He loved the way she felt, the way she moved, the little sounds she made. His erection throbbed painfully in response; he gave in just a little with a thrust of his hips against her backside. He wanted to feel her skin against his erection, he wanted--needed--to be buried inside her, but the torture was so sweet. He bit his bottom lip and groaned, thrusting his fingers into her, then sliding them out to caress her clitoris until Harley jerked against him, going up on her toes as she climaxed with a muffled cry. 

She turned her head to face the desk, pressing her forehead against the desk, struggling to swallow her cry of pleasure. He made her feel so good, when he shoved his fingers back into her she was sure she saw stars… 

Joker pressed himself close to her, burying his fingers inside her the moment she came, thrusting along with the jerks and twitches of her body, urging another orgasm from her before he removed his fingers and released her pinned arms. She laid her hands against the desk, but she didn’t move. Joker wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her hips up against his groin, laying his head against her back. They stayed that way for several moments while Harleen tried to get her breathing under control again and Joker found he didn’t want to let her go. 

When she could breathe again Joker let her up, taking his chair again, though he turned her to face him, and pulled her with him. Harleen straddled his lap, reaching down to touch him, but he grabbed her wrist stopping her. 

“Not yet sweets, I’ll let you know,” he purred rubbing his nose against her throat. 

Harleen thought about arguing with him, but instead she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. Joker groaned softly wrapping his arms around her, returning her kiss with a slow, burning passion. 

* 

When Joker left, he refused to give her panties back, so when Harleen went up to help Dr. Cavendish (which she wasn’t happy about in the first place. Cavendish was doing electroshock treatments on both Kirk Langstrom and Marv whose necromania didn’t seem to be controlled by medications. Harleen was of the opinion both men just needed a medicine adjustment and more intense one-on-one counseling, not electroshock therapy), she felt awkward. She was also angry about helping Cavendish since she didn’t like the man or his treatments. She had tried to find out how she had been assigned to assist him, but no one seemed to know which meant talking to Strange, but she couldn’t find him and talking to Dr. Arkham would be pointless. 

She was pretty sure Huntoon or Vane had something to do with her being made to help Cavendish. 

She sighed and headed up to the assignment. Hopefully it wouldn't be as bad as she feared. 

* 

Cash and Pete didn’t turn to lead Joker back to his room. He frowned, glancing at Cash. “What’s up buddy, going on a tour or something?” 

Cash frowned. “Huntoon came by and said you were to be taken to the showers.” 

Joker frowned in confusion. “I thought I only had shower privileges once a week.” 

Cash shrugged. “Look freak, I don’t question the doctors.” 

Joker snorted. “Well that’s not true, you are constantly questioning Dr. Quinzel. Or is it because she’s a woman?” 

Cash shoved him. “No, she’s new, and she’s a sweet young woman. She just isn't savvy is all. She’s idealistic, thinks she can cure a maniac like you.” 

Joker smiled. “She is pretty special isn’t she? Got a great set of legs.” 

Cash snarled. “Shut up freak!” He grabbed Joker’s arm in a painful grip, but Joker simply laughed the pain off. 

* 

Cavendish grinned when he saw Harleen. “Ah, there you are Dr. Quinzel!” 

Harleen felt sick to her stomach. Langstrom was struggling against being strapped down to the bed, screaming and pleading with the orderlies to let him go, but what made her really sick was seeing Huntoon who yelled at Langstrom. “Will you shut up, you fucking freak!” 

“Would you mind helping to hold the patient down?” Dr. Cavendish motioned at Langstrom. 

Harleen scowled. Langstrom’s eyes were so wide with fear that the whites showed prominently. He was screaming. “NOOOOO!! Leave me alone!!” 

Harleen had just walked closer when Huntoon smiled at her. Huntoon stepped out of the way, letting go of Langstrom who surged up from the bed. He hit her head-on, slamming Harleen to the floor. She slammed her head against the linoleum with Langstrom landing on top of her, clawing at her face. “NOOO!!!” He kept screaming while trying to slash at Harleen’s face. 

Harleen screamed and put her arms up over her face in response. 

* 

Cash shoved Joker into the showers after removing his straightjacket. 

Joker frowned in thought. This was all wrong. He looked around at the showers. There was no one here, the lights were dim, and something felt way off. Huntoon definitely wouldn’t have given him more privileges... 

He heard movement and turned just as a dark figure loomed out of the shadows. He only had time to see that the figure was dressed in a full coroner's outfit along with gloves, apron, their face covered by a surgical mask. The dim light glinted off a scalpel just before the sharp blade hit Joker between the ribs.


	13. She didn't know what she was headed for

Langstrom knocked Harleen’s glasses off in their struggle, sending them flying across the room. His fist connected with Harleen’s eye, blinding her for a moment. The man continued to scream as Harleen tried to protect her face. No one was trying to help her, neither Huntoon nor Cavendish (though Cavendish was screaming for an orderly or a nurse to get him a sedative.) Harleen tried to grab hold of Langstrom’s hands to stop him from hurting her and also to try subdue him without hurting him, but nothing was working. The man was in a full on panic, making high pitched shrieks that made her eardrums ache as he attacked her. When he clawed her, his nails seemed longer than they should have been; they cut through her doctor’s coat, through her top and into her skin. 

The pain burned and she cried out in pain. 

One of the guards moved to help her, but Dr. Huntoon put a hand on the young guard’s chest. “Let the good doctor alone. She wants to play with the big boys, then let her take care of this patient herself.” 

The guard looked astonished at Huntoon, but he didn’t move, neither did any of the other guards, a few of them whispering, making bets on whether the pretty, young doctor was going to make it before Langstrom did more than simply hurt her. 

Harleen pushed on Langstrom with all her strength--which she knew wasn't much--but the man was not really fighting her, she realized. He was frantically trying to protect himself, he was scared, so when she pushed against his chest, he wasn’t ready for it. Once she had shoved him, Harleen moved quickly, bending her legs to press her feet against his belly and shoved. She reached over her head to snap herself to her feet (her dress rode up a bit, but hopefully the fight distracted away from her lack of panties.) She was on her feet and twisted her body around, brought her leg up to kick Langstrom in the face with a roundhouse kick, knocking the poor man back against the bed. Langstrom sank to the floor looking confused and disoriented. Harleen assumed she must have given him a concussion, but it couldn’t be helped. 

She yelled at one of the guards in the room, the younger man whom Huntoon had stopped from helping her earlier. “Your cuffs--NOW!” 

His eyes wide, the guard tossed his cuffs to Dr. Quinzel who caught them out of the air. She moved swiftly to cuff Langstrom’s wrists together. 

She turned to one of the orderlies in the room, unaware of how savage she looked with her darkened black eye, a cut along her chin, and the bloody, deep cuts across her collarbone, the ripped clothing making the wounds look more vicious and savage. “Get me a sedative.” 

The orderly obeyed her even as Huntoon tried to step in. “Don’t…” 

But the man stepped around Huntoon to hand Harleen the syringe. Harleen cleared the air bubbles and dropped down to her knees beside Langstrom who was now sobbing, huddled in on himself, defeated and scared. 

“I don’t want to be hurt,” he whimpered at her when Harleen moved closer, tears streaming down his cheeks. Her heart ached for the poor man. There was no way she could be angry at him; he had been driven to this violence by Cavendish and Huntoon. 

“It’s all right Kirk, I understand. You’re scared. I’m going to give you something that will calm you down and make you sleepy.” Harleen smiled at the poor, distraught man. “Then you can go back to your room, all right?” 

Langstrom stared at her for a few seconds as if he didn’t understand completely, but he finally smiled and nodded. “Thank you.” 

Huntoon growled and shot a look at Dr. Cavendish. “Dr. Cavendish, you can’t let her…” 

But Dr. Cavendish waved a hand at Huntoon. “Can’t perform a procedure on him like this! I want everyone out! My mood has been destroyed! I simply cannot work under these conditions!” 

Huntoon tried again, opening his mouth to try to convince his fellow doctor not to listen to Dr. Quinzel, but Cavendish growled pointing at the door. “OUT! I want everyone out!” 

Harleen placed the syringe against Langstrom’s neck and, as gently as she could, injected him with the sedative. It didn’t take long before Langstrom sagged. She gently put her arm around his shoulders looking up at the staring orderlies, nurses, and guards who seemed unable to follow an order unless Harleen spoke to them sternly, as if they were children. 

“I want him taken back to his room,” she ordered, proud of herself for keeping her cool. 

The young guard who had given her the cuffs stepped forward, handing her glasses to her. “Dr. Quinzel, may I escort you to the infirmary?” 

Harleen only now seemed to notice the pain around her eye as she slipped her glasses on (thank goodness they weren’t broken) and the deep claw marks on her shoulder. She glanced down at him, reaching up to gingerly peel the torn cloth away. There were three deep marks on her skin and they would probably need stitches. 

She felt a little nauseated. “Yes, thank you.” 

* 

In the showers, the scalp punctured Joker between two ribs on his left side, even as he grabbed his assailant's wrist with both hands. The pain was sharp and he felt a deeper pain in his chest, but he had suffered worse over the years, which made ignoring the pain easier. The man in the mask stared back at him, his brown eyes widening as Joker held his wrist in a painful grip. 

Joker hissed as the man tried to pull free. “Who are you?” 

The masked man responded by punching Joker in the face with his free hand. Joker’s head snapped back, his nose bloody, his top lip bruised as his attacker yanked his captured hand back. He didn’t realize that the only reason he was able to break free of Joker’s hold was because Joker let him go. Joker slid his hands down over his attacker’s and with surprising strength for such a slender man, Joker broke two of the man’s fingers that held the scalpel. 

His attacker screamed, his grip on his weapon loosening and allowing Joker to pull the scalpel free. The masked attacker stumbled back, holding his hand up with two of his fingers now bent at unnatural angles just as Joker slashed at him, the blade cutting through the man’s mask and up into his cheek, leaving a deep and bloody slash behind. 

Joker grinned viciously, his expression nightmarish as the blood from his nose dripped down over his lips and stained his teeth. Joker moved forward, ready to kill the man when he was hit across his lower back by something hard. The pain radiated up his spine, making the difficulty he was having breathing more acute. 

Joker spun around and barely caught a glimpse of another attacker dressed in similar fashion as the first. He didn’t see what hit him, but something slammed Joker in the face with enough force, combined with the slippery floor, that the impact sent Joker flying off his feet. His head slammed hard against the tiles along with his back, knocking what little air he still had in his lungs rushing out in a painful gush. He blinked, struggling to catch his breath as dizziness made his vision swim in the shadowy shower. 

He heard one man scream behind him, which made Joker smile. “He fucking cut me!!” 

The other one that had hit Joker in the back reached down and pried the scalpel from Joker’s hand, snarling. “Go!! They had to have heard that you idiot!! Do you wanna get caught?!” 

Joker heard their retreating feet as he struggled to breathe. His chest felt heavy, he couldn’t get a proper breath. Each inhalation hurt and was a struggle, as if he was trying to breathe underwater. But he knew the two people who had attacked him were men; their voices had confirmed that. He could be wrong, but he didn’t think so. He heard their retreating footsteps fade away. 

The only sounds he heard for a few moments were his labored breathing and the slow drip of water from the showers. He blinked a few times, trying to push himself up, but slipped back down just as Cash and the new guard came rushing in with Cash yelling. 

“What the fuck are you…” 

Cash dropped down beside him as Joker tried to push himself up on his elbows, the pain of drawing a breath, the pain radiating out and over his shoulder making taking deep breaths difficult, combined with the dizziness was making holding onto consciousness a fight. 

“What the fuck happened?” Cash asked not with concern, but with curiosity as he quickly checked Joker over, noting the bloody wound in his chest, along with the bloody nose and bruised lip. 

Joker gasped and realized what had happened; his lung had collapsed, he had felt this before after a few fights with old Batsy who believed in “beat until you’re within a inch of dying” to subdue your opponent. Most of the time Joker was trying to kill several people, but still, for a man who supposedly didn’t believe in killing, Batsy sure did love to beat on a guy. “Attacked, two...masked men…” Joker whispered trying to keep from taking too many deep breaths. Thank goodness he healed fast--very fast. 

Cash frowned looking at the younger guard. He hesitated which made Joker whisper. “Do you have the guts to watch me lie here and die Cash darling?” Joker licked his bloody lips, smiling up at Cash. 

Cash gave Joker a dirty look, whispering. “You deserve a slower, more painful death, you fucking psycho clown.” Joker laughed despite the pain and lack of oxygen as Cash snarled at the other guard. “Go get help.” 

The guard ran off, leaving Cash with Joker. The two men stared at one another and Joker smiled at him. “I knew you didn’t have it in you.” 

Cash hissed with a shake of his head. “Just shut the fuck up.” 

* 

Harleen was lying back on one of the cots in the infirmary as the nurse sewed up the wounds on her shoulder. The infirmary was mostly quiet except for the soft sound of machines and a radio somewhere in an office playing softly, the sounds of the Carpenters singing “We’ve Only Just Begun.” Harleen and one other patient were the only people in here along with some staff. The patient, a man named Harold who had refused to eat and was now on a feeding tube. He was also sedated. One of the nurses had told Harleen that he kept yanking his feeding tube out, which was why they had to sedate him. The only sound coming from him was steady breathing and the beep of his machine. 

Harleen calmed herself, trying to relax in the hospital bed. She was lying on one of the hospital beds in the room (there were several beds with curtains to divide them, there were no private rooms in the infirmary.) She had her removed her dress and bra, and wore a hospital gown which was pulled down (though still carefully covering her modesty) while she was being stitched up. Dr. Sinner had come by and offered to bring Harleen some clothes from the lost and found that she could wear long enough to get to her apartment and Dr. Strange had given her the rest of the day off because of the incident with Kirk Langstrom. The nurse working on Harleen, a young woman named Hilda, had told her that the three cuts Harleen had received had been deep and were going to scar. The young woman had apologized, but Harleen had only sighed. She didn’t really care about the scars, she was just glad the damage hadn’t been worse. 

No, she wasn’t upset with Langstrom, but she was angry at Huntoon, angry at the staff who had just stood there instead of helping her, angry at Dr. Cavendish for his methods, angry at being treated like shit because she was a young female doctor. She was just plain angry. 

The only help she had gotten had been from the young guard who had given her his cuffs...Harleen frowned trying to recall his name. He had told her when he brought her to the infirmary...Zach Franklin. He had been helpful after the fact, ignoring Huntoon and the others to help her. He had stuck around the infirmary for a few minutes until the nurse had made him leave. She hoped his helping her didn’t affect his employment, maybe she would have one ally among the staff after this. She sighed, trying once more to relax while Hilda worked, closed her eyes, and let the Carpenters’ soft music wash over her. 

As Hilda was sewing her skin back together, there was a commotion outside the infirmary followed by several orderlies and guards rushing into the room. They came in carrying a patient that they dropped unceremoniously onto the free cot next to Harleen. The doctor rushed over from out of the office where the radio was playing and the orderlies and guards moved out of the way giving 

Harleen a glimpse of green hair and pale, snow white skin. 

Harleen gasped. It was Joker. 

She just barely resisted the urge to get up and go to him, but it was difficult to just lie there as the doctor and a couple of nurses worked on him. She tried to see what was going on, but there were too many people in front of her. 

The nurse working on her stitches had stopped her work for a moment, her eyes wide. 

“That’s the Joker…” The woman sounded shocked and surprised just as one of the nurses with Joker gave them both a dirty look as she grabbed the curtain and pulled it closed between them. 

Harleen had to focus herself, trying to keep her expression neutral while her heart beat out of control. What had happened to him? Was he going to be all right? What was she going to do? 

She was his doctor, not his lover, she repeated to herself. Outside of her office or his room they were doctor and patient; she couldn’t show more concern than that. She had to be relatively neutral while inside she was screaming. 

“Can you find out what happened for me? I’m his doctor,” she said to Hilda. 

The young nurse jumped, turning her attention back to Harleen. “Oh yes, uh...here. Let me finish your stitches real quick…” 

Harleen swallowed and focused on the ceiling, picking out faces in the tiles in order to occupy her mind while trying to listen to what was going on in the bed next to her. She also tried not to look overly interested, or at least not interested beyond her professional position. She couldn’t discern much, but when she saw a nurse come around the curtain carrying bloody rags, Harleen turned her mind to focus on the radio that she could still faintly hear drifting from the doctor’s office. The sound of Cream’s “White Room” started to play. She focused on the words while Hilda worked. 

“I'll wait in this place where the sun never shines 

Wait in this place where the shadows run from themselves…” 

Once Hilda was done with her stitches, the young woman cleaned her collar again and gently placed a bandage over the stitches. “There, okay, I’ll just go wash up and see what’s going on for you.” 

Harleen smiled, though the numbing was wearing off and the stitches were beginning to ache. “Thank you.” 

The next couple of minutes were hard for her. She wanted to jump up and rush over to Joker’s side, but instead she focused on her breathing. She glanced over at Harold to see the man staring at her. She couldn't be sure if he was actually awake or not because he didn’t blink, but his blank stare was unnerving. She looked away, returning her focus to the ceiling tiles and the sound of the radio now playing The Partridge Family “I Woke Up in Love This Morning.” Harleen murmured along with the lyrics. “I woke up in love this mornin'. Went to sleep with you on my mind…” Hilda came back over to the bedside. Harleen schooled her features into looking mildly interested. 

“I guess someone attacked Joker in the showers. The doctor says he has a small puncture which caused his lung to collapse, but he was lucky. It's a small puncture that should heal up in a few days, up to a few weeks depending, but the doctor says it was small and Joker’s real healthy, says the Joker always heals real fast. Uh…” She frowned. “He has a mild concussion and some bruising, looks like someone hit him in the face. He’s got a bloody nose and there’s bruising under his eyes.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “Bruising really shows up bad on that skin of his.” She shrugged and continued at a normal tone of voice. “The doctor says he’ll keep him overnight for observation, but that he should be able to return him to his room in the morning.” Hilda shuddered and whispered. “Who would have the guts to go after Joker?” She shivered again. “Anyway, I told Dr. Kellerman you’re the Joker’s doctor. He said you can see him in a couple of hours.” She leaned close and whispered. “I told him you were his doctor, but he already knew. I didn’t realize you were such a big deal.” She smiled, but Harleen shook her head. “I’m not a big deal.” 

Hilda frowned, leaning back. “Oh I don't know about that, Dr. Kellerman said you were that new female doctor that’s been shaking things up. I’m sorry I didn't realize…” She shrugged. 

“Sometimes I can be a bit slow and I don’t always remember names, though I should remember yours, it’s such a cool name--Dr. Harleen Quinzel.” 

Harleen smiled. “Well, thank you for checking on him.” 

Hilda grinned. “No problem. The doc says you can leave after Dr. Sinner brings you some clothes. He gave you some pills too for pain, so I’ll just go get those filled for ya. Be right back.” Hilda smiled and took off with a wave. 

Harleen smiled and laid back with a sigh of relief, but she wondered: who could have attacked Joker? The why wasn’t really important--he was the Joker, there were probably a lot of reasons why, any number of patients, doctors, guards who would probably want to take a crack at him, but in the showers? She frowned, thinking. He was only supposed to go the showers once a week, so someone with authority had changed the order. 

She frowned in thought realizing that it could be anybody. Someone had sent him there in the hopes of killing him, that had to be it because just hurting Joker would be dangerous. She pressed her lips together in thought. Or could it be someone trying to get to her? She thought about the note she had found this afternoon, but why blackmail her, then try to kill Joker? That didn’t make any sense, unless the two things weren't related. She frowned deeper, but she was having a hard time focusing as the pain in her shoulder was starting to throb intently. 

Maybe she could talk about it with Joker tonight when she came back. 

* 

When Harleen left the infirmary, Joker had still been cut off by a ring of curtains, Dr. Kellerman was still in there with him, so she was forced to go to her apartment without being able to stop to see him. 

She was wearing a set of patient clothing, the orange pants with an orange patient top with Arkham Asylum printed down the leg and along the breast. Dr. Sinner hadn’t been able to find anything in the lost and found that would fit Harleen, so she had brought her some patient clothing. She had received some looks from the staff as she walked by, even some smirks from some guards and doctors, but she ignored them as she headed home. She had on some patient socks and slippers and nothing else, which made getting to her apartment uncomfortable. She cursed herself for not taking the time to pull her boots on. During her time in the infirmary the weather had grown colder as it headed into early evening and there was now more snow on the ground making the trek back to her apartment uncomfortable at best. By the time she walked into her apartment, she felt frozen. 

She dumped her shredded dress and doctor’s coat that she had carried with her in a paper bag on the floor and headed straight to the shower. 

Once in her bathroom, she flipped on the light and stopped when she saw her reflection in the mirror. She looked worse than terrible. 

Her skin looked pale, her makeup long gone, smeared under her eyes to mix with the bruises under her right eye. Her hair was a mess and the bruising was a bright purple and blue that spread out under her right eye, spreading across the cheekbone. The bruise looked like it was mostly going to be on her cheek and under her eye, spreading to her hairline. Her eye was luckily not swollen shut; there was a little swelling, but probably by morning even that would be gone leaving just the nasty bruise behind. She pulled the top she wore off to look at the bandages. There was angry red along her skin all around the outside of the bandage from her collarbone and down to the top of her breast. 

She frowned for a moment, gingerly touching the red place along her breast before she grabbed the bandaged and peeled the gauze away, wincing as she did. The stitches underneath were not the prettiest, and Hilda had been correct--she was going to have some scars. Her entire shoulder throbbed with pain. She had accepted the pills that Hilda had given her, but she hadn’t taken any yet. Instead, she turned and started her shower, quickly stripping out of the remainder of the clothing and stepped into the shower under the warm water. She stood with her eyes closed letting the water run down her face, washing away some of the pain, the blood, and the smell of the infirmary. 

* 

She pulled on a red floral dress with buttons that ran down from her chest down the entire front of the shirt. She had started to pull on pants and a sweater, but she had remembered that Joker liked dresses and at the last minute she had pulled out a dress. This one longer, hanging to midcalf, it was a couple of years old, but still nice. She blew her hair dry, but instead of styling it she left it, letting her blonde hair fall in natural curls around her shoulders. She didn’t bother with makeup. The bruises were too bad to cover up and she was too tired to worry about it. She took two of the pain pills she had been given with a glass of water from her bathroom sink, grabbed one of her other doctor’s coats and her winter coat before she headed back to the asylum. 

* 

She had only gotten as far as the cafeteria of her apartment building when she saw Dr. Vane. He was standing by the table where the coffee was kept, talking to one of the nurses, a cute little blonde who was clearly enchanted by having one of the doctors talking to her. He kept reaching out and stroking her arm or playing with her hair. Harleen narrowed her eyes, thinking viciously to herself, asshole. 

She ignored him and started to leave when Vane called out. “Dr. Quinzel!” 

Harleen had her hand on the door. She took a deep breath, her hand tightening around the door handle for a moment. She closed her eyes before she turned to face him. “Dr. Vane.” 

He smiled at her, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I heard about what happened with Kirk Langstrom and I thought I might relieve you of some of your patient burden. You clearly need some rest.” He looked slightly disgusted as he took in her bruised face. 

Harleen narrowed her eyes. “Dr. Strange gave me the rest of the day off, but I’m fine. I don’t need any help, thank you.” 

Wyndham smiled again and Harleen recognized that condescending smile; she had seen it on Huntoon’s face plenty of times. God, she could kick herself! How had she been so wrong about Wyndham, or had she simply been blind? Either way, she felt a fool for thinking he might have been a friend. Granted, he had wanted more than friendship, but she had thought he was one of the good ones, one of the doctors who saw her as a professional first, a woman second, who saw her as an equal, a colleague! 

“I’m fine,” she said and started to turn, but Vane said in a louder tone. “Look, admit you need help, you don’t have to be so prideful Dr. Quinzel. We all know you’ve done your best, but you are just a woman, even if you have the title of doctor in front of your name. You can’t handle the harder patients, that’s why a male doctor should be handling a patient like the Joker and you should be handling patients who just need someone to talk them out of killing themselves, like women who are too worried about being fat or worried about not being a good enough housewife…” 

Harleen reacted before she had fully processed his words. All she had heard was that she was only a woman. Her hand snapped out and she slapped Vane across the face. She was satisfied by the look of shock on his face. 

She jabbed him in the chest with a stiff finger. “You, Dr. Vane, are intellectually stunted, morally reprehensible, sexist, egotistical, a hypocritical, insecure bigot, and you’d be lucky to have a doctor like me give you the time of day. Now, I have work to do.” 

She was aware that everyone in the cafeteria eating dinner had stopped and was staring at them. Vane opened his mouth, but Harleen didn’t want to give him a chance to reply. Instead she turned and purposefully marched outside into the cold. 

* 

Joker (topless despite the cool temperature of the room) was sitting up in the hospital bed, one hand cuffed to the bed guard of the hospital bed, a hospital tray across his bed. It was early evening and the infirmary was quiet. His curtains were pulled around to cut him off from the rest of the room (so that his presence wouldn’t upset anyone coming into the infirmary the doc had said.) He had been brought some paper and crayons by one of the nurses, a young nurse named Hilda (only after the doctor had looked in his files to see that Dr. Quinzel had authorized that he was allowed to have these things.) Hilda had also been kind enough to tell him that his doctor had been in here when he had been brought in, which had angered Joker. Why was Harley in the infirmary? He had politely asked the young nurse, (he was very proud of himself for being so sweet) only to find that she had been attacked by Kirk Langstrom. The nurse Hilda had told him about having to stitch Harley up… 

Thinking about the fact that someone had hurt Harley put his nerves on edge, made him angrier, angrier than he had ever recalled being. Even Batsy had never made him this angry and that Bat was annoying as hell...never getting any of his jokes. He was sure Harley would get the jokes, that she would get all the jokes. 

He stopped drawing for a moment to press his lips together, rubbing them back and forth for a moment as he let the rage settle before he reached over for the paper cup of water and took a sip. 

The water was cold enough that he could feel the liquid as it moved down his throat and into his stomach. 

His breathing still felt uncomfortable, but the doc had said with rest, he should heal in no time, a fact that he was counting on because he was not going to be caught with his pants down (metaphorically speaking) again. Someone had it in for him, and he had a pretty good idea who it might be. 

He put the thoughts of murder (Kirk was now on his mental list of people who needed to be dealt with) aside and focused on drawing again. He hummed while he worked, thinking of Harley, the little sounds she had made when he touched her, his fingers inside her, rubbing her, the taste of her tongue in his mouth. He stopped again, his erection growing quickly at the thought of her, his blood running hot through his veins as Harley bent over her desk, her ass, her legs, the sound of her moans... 

Joker licked his lips, tightening his hands into fists, snapping his crayon. He wanted her, wanted her more than he wanted anything, more than he wanted to kill the Batman or to make Gotham laugh… 

He wanted her, wanted Harley to be all his and only his…always his girl... 

When it was time to leave here, he wasn’t leaving without her, he decided. Harley was going to come with him. She wasn’t ready yet, but soon, soon he would make his escape with her in his arms. And then they would take Gotham together. 

Smiling, Joker picked up another crayon from the ones that lay on his table with his water and started to draw again. He didn't plan on killing anyone or being dangerous, (no matter how much he wanted to), at least not for a while. He didn’t want to do anything that would jeopardize his time with Harleen, but there was a small, dark simmering anger about the two men who had attacked him. He wasn’t as angry as he was with Kirk Langstrom though, he realized with a curious lift of one eyebrow. He chewed his bottom lip for a moment, drawing out two men with vague features dressed as coroners. He then drew cartoon knives stabbing them with drops of crayon blood coming out from the wounds in great big drops that spread across the paper. 

He snickered before he pulled out a clean sheet of paper, which he examined for a long moment before he started to hum, followed by singing under his breath a song that made him think of Harley while he drew... 

“She's come undun 

She didn't know what she was headed for 

And when I found what she was headed for 

It was too late 

She's come undun 

She found a mountain that was far too high 

And when she found out she couldn't fly 

It was too late 

It's too late 

She's gone too far 

She's lost the sun 

She's come undun... 

* 

Joker smiled, drawing Harley while he sang, Harley Quinn. His sketch, even with the crayons, was excellent. He could have been an artist if he had wanted… 

He drew her in her doctor’s coat, followed by one of her naked, then stopped a moment, staring at the image for a moment. “Harley Quinn…” he whispered. He drew her in a clown outfit, then frowned. That wasn’t right either. He drew her as a Pierrette clown, but that still wasn’t right, he thought. He tapped the crayon against his lips, staring at the image, then slowly an idea came to him and his smile spread slowly across his face. 

A Harlequin...that was perfect… 

Joker began to sing again as he drew Harley in a harlequin costume. 

“Too many mountains, and not enough stairs to climb 

Too many churches and not enough truth 

Too many people and not enough eyes to see 

Too many lives to lead and not enough time 

It's too late 

She's gone…” 

* 

His voice trailed off as he looked down at the image he had drawn and smiled happily. He had drawn a catsuit for her with bellbottoms, the diamond pattern of the traditional harlequin all over the outfit. His smile turned into a small frown. No, that was not quite right yet. He drew another version, this time without the bellbottoms and reduced the diamond pattern to only over one hip, cutting the outfit into two colors, black and red like playing cards. He added more diamonds at her shoulders...yes...this was closer… 

He was so occupied with his drawing that he didn’t react when his curtains were ruffled until he heard Harley murmuring. “How are you?” 

Joker looked up, his blue eyes brightening at the sight of her. “Harley!” His eyes darkened when he saw the bruise on her face. “Oh sweets…” 

Harleen put her finger to her lips. “Shh, not so loud. The doctor is gone, but there’s a nurse in his office, though she didn’t see me come in.” 

Joker put his papers and crayon on the tray, shoving them out of the way before he patted the side of his bed. 

“Come here,” he whispered. 

Harleen looked around. “I don’t…” 

Joker frowned at her. “Please sweets…” He added with a smile. “Live dangerously.” 

Harleen only resisted for a moment. She wanted to be close to him, so she came over and sat on the side of his bed, one leg bent under the other. Joker reached down to run his hand along her knee. 

He smiled and purred. “No stockings.” 

Harleen blushed and whispered. “No, no stockings.” She swallowed and tried to focus while Joker stroked her knee. “So what happened?” she asked gazing at him with concern. The bruising around his nose did look awful against his pale white skin. “Are you really all right?” 

His hand trailed up under her skirt to her thigh. “I was attacked, simple as that. I should be asking what happened to you.” He reached up with his one free hand to gently run his fingertips along the edge of the bruise. “So what happened exactly Harley?” 

Harleen frowned, looking down at the bed. His touch felt nice, soothing. She leaned into his touch, her eyes closed for a moment before she told him what had happened, about Huntoon, Cavendish, all of it. 

Joker smiled when she was finished. “Mm, wish I had been there, I would have loved to see you take charge like that. Very sexy…” His voice became dark in the next instant. “That fuck Huntoon needs to be taught a lesson.” 

Harleen smiled, catching her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment before she whispered. “I ran into Dr. Vane before coming here…” She smiled at him. “I slapped him across the face in front of a full cafeteria.” 

Joker pressed his lips together on a laugh and his eyes sparkled merrily. “You did? I would have loved to have seen that too!” 

Harleen giggled softly, glancing at the curtains, but she didn’t see any movement on the other side before turning her attention back to Joker. “So who attacked you? Any ideas?” 

Joker dropped his hand back to her leg. “No, could be anyone. You would be surprised sweets, I’m not that popular. t’s a mystery I know.” He chuckled. “I’m so loveable, after all.” 

Harleen frowned, not finding this funny at all and whispered. “I have a theory that it’s someone in charge, it has to be to change an order…” 

Joker tilted his head smiling. “Let’s not talk about that now…” 

“But…” Harleen began, but Joker whispered. “Sweets, someone is always wanting me dead--it’s nothing new. I’ll just be a little more alert than I have been, but right now I want to spend some time with you.” His voice was soft, seductive as he reached up and grasped the back of her neck and tugged her to him, his lips finding hers. 

Harleen wanted to tell him no, not right now, but when his lips touched hers she melted. She couldn’t deny him, even with how dangerous this was. Someone could walk in on them at any moment, and yet she still returned his kiss, leaning into him. She scooted closer, dropping one hand down on his other side so she could lean closer. Her free hand reached out to stroke his bare chest. The sensation of touching him, made her groin ache. Her breasts felt heavy, her nipples hard. Joker reached up and gently removed her glasses, dropping them lightly onto his table. He smiled while gazing at her and his fingers lightly danced over her lips before he slid his fingers into her hair, pulling her closer to press his mouth against hers. Joker opened his mouth against hers, deepening the kiss as he pulled her closer still. 

Harleen moaned softly, kissing him slowly and sweetly before pulling back to gaze into his blue eyes, rubbing her nose against his. Joker smiled at her, caressed her face with his free hand before cupping her throat and capturing her mouth again. 

She moaned against his mouth once more, her entire body burning for him. She stroked her fingers through his green hair while they kissed. She wanted to touch more of him, to touch every part of Joker. She wanted him so much, her body ached for him. She was on fire the moment their lips touched and that fire just burned hotter, burning away her sanity she thought as they continued to kiss. 

Her tongue slowly stroked his tongue in a deep, sensual twist. She forgot about how dangerous this was in a place where they could easily get caught, but maybe that was part of the appeal. Harleen didn’t know, but she couldn’t stop herself from kissing him, from giving in to her desire to be close to him. When Joker gripped her hair in his hand, almost painful but not quite diving into pain, pressed his mouth more firmly against hers, she made a little whimper of want. She wanted to give in, wanted to throw caution to the wind, she wanted him, body, heart, soul, she wanted to lose control and give in absolutely to her desires. 

Joker groaned deeply as he gripped her hair in his hand, pressing his mouth against hers, his tongue plunging deep into her mouth. His groin throbbed with his want, his need as he kissed her. He relaxed his grip on her hair and let his fingers glide down her throat, feeling the rapid beat of her heart against his fingers before he dragged his hand lower to caress her breasts. He could feel her nipples hard beneath the cloth of her dress. His fingers, with nimble grace, began to undo the buttons of her dress. 

Harleen gasped and reached up to lay her hand over his, stopping him. “Stop...we can’t…” she murmured. “There’s a nurse and there are guards right outside the infirmary since you’re in here.” 

Joker brushed his nose against hers and purred low and sexy. “I want to touch you Harley…” His eyes became hooded, the blue of his gaze glowing in the dim light. “I want to touch your silky skin...Let me…” he cooed gently. “I need to touch you.” 

Harleen hesitated only a moment, dropping her hand because she wanted him to touch her, needed him to touch her. She let him unbutton her dress down to her waist. He pulled the dress off her shoulders, stopping only when he saw the stitches and the red, angry skin of her injury. 

He very lightly touched the wounds that ran from her shoulder to just above her breast. 

“My brave, sexy girl,” he purred, his fingers lightly brushing the stitches before he dragged his fingers along the top of her breasts, leaning in to kiss her again. 

Harleen whimpered softly as his fingers traced the edges of her bra, caressing her skin. His touch made every nerve in her body come alive. Her nipples ached for him to touch her, but he continued to tease, stroking his fingers along the edges of her bra while his tongue caressed and stroked hers in a sweet, heated touch of their lips that she felt all the way to her groin. 

Joker found the front latch of her bra and smiled against her mouth. Without a word he unlatched her bra, the two sides springing away to reveal her breasts. 

He licked his lips and looked down at her breasts. The pale glow of the infirmary lights danced across her smooth, creamy skin, his groin pulsating at the sight of her breasts, the hard, rosy pink nipples. He brushed his fingers over her and Harleen responded with a shuddering moan. He traced her nipples with his fingertips, smiling as Harley gasped, arching her back into his touch. 

He captured her mouth again, cupping and stroking her breasts with his free hand, his fingers playing with her nipples until Harleen was writhing under his touch. He resisted the urge to capture one of her nipples in his mouth though he wanted to. He contented himself with teasing strokes and gentle pinches while they kissed, taking his cues from the way Harley shifted and groaned. 

His touch was like fire; her nipples ached each time he brushed them, pinched gently… 

She was wet and aching when he squeezed her breast and rolled his thumb and forefinger around her nipple. The ache in her groin throbbed with a deep need that she felt everywhere. 

That was when they both heard movement outside the protection of the curtains that surrounded Joker’s bed. They both stopped, going still and listened. Whoever it was, they could hear them moving about the room. 

Joker looked at Harley and whispered. “Give me your bra.” 

“What?” Harleen hissed back. 

Joker grinned. “I want your bra--give it to me.” 

She started to protest again, but they both heard the footsteps coming closer. Joker started to pull her bra down her shoulders. 

Harleen wrinkled her nose and quickly slid out of her bra. Joker took it and stuffed the bra under his blankets. He pulled his pillow from behind his head and dropped it down on his erection. 

Harleen stood and quickly buttoned up her dress, finishing just as the curtain was pulled back. 

“All right Joker, I’m here to take your vitals...Oh, doctor…” The nurse looked confused, but Harleen smiled, her professional face falling into place like a mask. “Dr. Quinzel,” she said with a small smile. “I’m Joker’s psychiatrist. I just wanted to check on my patient.” 

The nurse smiled. “Of course, I just need to check his vitals.” 

Harleen smiled. “That’s fine, I should probably be going.” 

She turned her attention to Joker. “I’ll see you tomorrow for your regular session.” 

Joker grinned brightly at her. “Looking forward to it doc!” 

Harleen tried her best not to blush as she quickly turned and headed back to her apartment. Joker watched her turn, his eyes on her ass before the curtain fell into place again, cutting her off from view. He sighed softly as the nurse took his vitals as he wondered how much longer he could hold back. 

* 

In another part of the asylum, one of the patients looked on in horror as the dark shadow entered his cell. Carl pushed him against the wall, sliding into a corner, but there was nowhere for him to go in his cell as he hissed in fear. “No, no, you can’t! You’re supposed to help me!! NO!!” 

The shadow said nothing, but rushed forward to cut off Carl’s screams.


	14. Silent Night

Two days had passed since Joker had been attacked and Harleen’s fight with Kirk Langstrom. During that time Joker had been returned to his cell and rumors circulated among staff and patients of a missing patient that no one could remember, but otherwise the asylum’s routine was back in place: no dead bodies, no mysterious attacks, and for Harleen, no encounters with Huntoon or Vane (though she had caught them both looking at her during the morning meetings or in the halls, glaring at her like a couple of jerks on the playground. The urge to give them the finger was strong enough that she almost gave in, but adult Harleen stopped herself while emotional Harleen sighed, disappointed at not being able to give the finger to them.) It still shocked her the turn in Dr. Vane, from being a nice man to such a creep. It hurt her heart to see it even though she wasn’t in love with him. 

But the last couple of days had been mostly normal, as normal for an asylum as it could be... 

That was until this morning. 

Harleen sat on the edge of her bed, yawning as she listened to the weather report on the radio. Everyone had known there was a snowstorm coming--it was December after all, just a few weeks before Christmas--but the snowstorm that had dropped on Gotham last night had been biblical. Rubbing her eyes Harleen listened as the radio announcer reported record snowfall throughout Gotham, with snowfall up to twenty-seven inches and winds of fifteen to twenty miles per hour with gusts up to thirty-five; the wind chill was well below zero at night. Roads and schools were closed, bridges were closed, all of Gotham was pretty much closed. 

After a bit the station switched back to music. The soulful sound of Luther Ingram singing “I Don’t Want to Be Right” began to play. Harleen frowned listening to the song for a few beats. 

“If loving you is wrong I don't wanna be right 

If being right means being without you 

I'd rather live a wrong doing life…” 

* 

Harleen’s thoughts drifted to Joker. 

She hadn’t seen him in the last couple of days between him being moved back to his cell, helping search for a missing patient that no one but Dr. John Kearney seemed to remember (Harleen had thought about the attack she had suffered a few weeks ago by a stranger...though she was willing to bet money her attack had something to do with Huntoon rather than some mysterious killer stalking the halls of Arkham. Since the discovery of the body that no one had seen, by a guard no one had seen, things had been quiet, at least as quiet as an asylum could be. The missing patient--whom no one found--could just as easily be a screw up in paperwork as a victim of a mysterious killer.) And being cornered by Vickie Vale on more than one occasion had cut into Harleen’s time. Her last two sessions with Joker had been cut short, the two of them sharing no more than a kiss or two together. Harleen found herself frustrated, annoyed, and becoming a little bit angry. 

She reached up and laid the heel of her hand between her breasts, her heart thumping hard against her breast bone. She was in love with the clown and she didn’t know what to do about it, about any of it. As the song said, if loving him was wrong...she didn’t want to be right...did she? 

Sighing, Harleen grabbed her classes and headed toward the shower to start her day. 

* 

She, along with everyone else who was in the cafeteria that morning, stared out the windows of the cafeteria to look on with amazement at the amount of snow that was piled outside. There were several orderlies, a few guards, and a handful of maintenance workers outside digging paths in the snow to connect each of the buildings. 

Harleen held a cup in her hands as she stared out the window. She didn’t see who had walked up beside her until they spoke, spooking her enough that she almost dropped her cup. 

“We’re supposed to get more snow tonight.” 

Harleen jumped and turned to see Dr. Alyce Sinner standing beside her. “What?” Harleen asked in confusion. 

Alyce motioned at the snow outside with lifted eyebrows. “We’re supposed to get some more tonight. I also heard that several of the staff are stranded in Gotham, the few that are here were either working the night shift or were sleeping on the grounds for some reason and they are now stuck.” 

Harleen turned to face Sinner. “Are you serious?” 

Alyce nodded, taking a sip of the coffee mug she had in her hand. “Yeah, Dr. Strange is going to talk about it with us this morning at the meeting, but we are going to be seriously understaffed if that’s the case.” She sipped her coffee. “Makes me worry about the old generator too. Last really bad storm we had, the asylum lost power for a few days. It was a shit show.” 

Harleen paled a little. “So, how much staff do we have?” She turned and looked at the cafeteria only now realizing just how few people were down here. 

Alyce shrugged. “No idea. Wanna walk with me to the meeting?” 

Harleen nodded. “Sure. I think I might actually go get my winter coat.” 

“Good idea.” Sinner glanced down at Harleen’s boots. “Boots were a good choice.” 

Harleen smiled and gulped her coffee. “Be right back.” 

* 

By the time Alyce and Harleen arrived at the main building, Harleen’s legs felt as if she had been running a marathon. The snow was heavy and thick and pushing through where the path hadn’t been shoveled yet had been difficult. To add to her discomfort, her slacks were soaked through to above her knees and she was shivering. 

Alyce shuddered. “Man, I hope they have some hot coffee in the meeting. I feel like a popsicle!” 

Harleen nodded her agreement and then frowned as she pulled her red and black plaid winter coat around her. “Does it seem colder in here than it should be?” 

Mirroring Harleen’s frown, Alyce nodded. “I guess the old heating system is struggling, either that or Huntoon got a hold of a thermostat. That fucker is always turning the heat down in the winter. I think he does it just to mess with the patients.” 

Harleen giggled at Alyce’s cursing, but she nodded. She wouldn’t put it past Huntoon to do all sorts of ridiculous things. It was her educated opinion that Roger Huntoon suffered from the need to control everything, that everything had to be to his liking. Situations and people needed to conform to his view of the world. Huntoon was an amusing counter to Joker. 

Harleen felt that for Joker, the more chaos there was in the world, the better he thought the world would be. Or perhaps he saw the world as being in constant chaos already, with no rhyme or reason to it, so why try to bring order to the world when you were ultimately doomed to fail? His view was almost fatalistic, but Harleen could see how Joker’s view of the world was more freeing. Joker saw no reason to fight again that chaos, which was what Huntoon did. Huntoon fought that chaos tooth and nail, but Joker embraced the chaos--which was probably why the man saw no right or wrong when it came to killing. 

Harleen frowned slightly as she walked beside Alyce. When did she change the way she saw things? 

Once they were in the main building Harleen immediately noticed that the halls were definitely far quieter. Usually she would see nurses or orderlies hurrying from one place to another, but now she only saw a handful of people going about their work; one whole nurses station was empty. 

Alyce hissed quietly. “Oh this is going to be bad if the patients realize we’re understaffed…” 

Harleen paled slightly at the thought, but said nothing. 

* 

When they arrived in the meeting room, the staffing problem caused by the snow storm revealed itself to Harleen and Alyce. Several doctors that should be at the meeting were missing: Dr. Leland, Dr. Milo, Dr. Kearny, and Dr. Meridia. Harleen could only imagine how many other doctors who were not part of the regular morning meeting were also missing. If the nearly vacant halls were any indication, a lot more than was safe for the asylum. 

As Harleen looked around the meeting room, she just barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes when she saw Huntoon and Vane were both here, because of course they were, she thought with a groan. 

Dr. Strange was already in his seat looking slightly grey around the edges while nursing a cup of coffee between his hands. 

She was pleased to see that someone had in fact brought in a pot of coffee and cups for everyone this morning. 

Dr. Arkham sat next to Strange, slightly bent over his cup of coffee as if he were trying to conserve the heat rising from the mug. Harleen noticed that he kept sniffing and rubbing at his nose. There was something odd about his movements. He looked nervous, twitchy, and when Harleen took her seat, Arkham glanced up at her and Harleen could see that the man’s eyes were dilated behind his glasses. 

Everyone else seemed all right. Huntoon and Vane looked like a couple of mean schoolyard bullies glaring at Harleen, but the rest of the staff seemed fine, if a little on edge. 

Once they were all seated and coffee poured for everyone (Harleen kept her coat on because it was cold in the meeting room), Dr. Strange cleared his throat, laying his hands flat against the table’s surface. 

“As you can see, the storm that hit Gotham last night was far worse than anticipated.” He sighed reaching up to rub the bridge of his nose. “Most of our regular staff, the maintenance staff, ordelies, nurses, and guards who live in Gotham and not on the island like the rest of us are absent. But it also seems that several of our doctors were in the city last night…” There was a clear edge of annoyance in Strange’s voice, which made Harleen wonder if some of the missing doctors were not supposed to be in the city last night? Although, they were all free to do as they liked as long as they showed up for their shifts, right? 

Strange continued. “And now, because of the storm, they were unable to return to the asylum this morning. The bridge between Arkham and Gotham is closed at the moment because of the heavy snowfall, so...” He looked at each of them. “...our missing staff will not be returning for a while, at least. When I spoke to Miller over at the highway department, he informed me that it looks as if the bridge to the asylum is going to be closed for a few days and, according to the weather reports, we’ll be getting more snow tonight.” He sucked his upper lip in for a moment before he continued. 

“As for right now, I want all of you to carry on as if nothing is wrong. I expect you to all help one another, that includes helping the rest of our staff, nurses, orderlies, and even maintenance if necessary, to do their jobs. We are going to be short-handed, so you need to do what you can to help. I do not want to alert the patients to our current situation and if everyone does their job, we shouldn’t have any issues.” Strange looked at each of them. “Any questions?” 

Huntoon raised his hand. 

Harleen felt like kicking him under the table. 

Strange barely stopped himself from sighing. “Yes Roger?” 

“What about the guards? Are we short on them too? And if so, can the doctors start carrying guns or…” 

Strange cut him off with a barely contained scowl. “No, doctors will not carry weapons. We are here to heal, doctor.” Harleen noticed the inflection that Strange put on the last word, as if reminding Huntoon about his chosen vocation. 

“But the situation is…” Huntoon started to protest, but Strange cut him off. “None of you are trained to use firearms and it does not help our patients if they see their doctors walking around armed.” Strange stared hard at Huntoon. “You will continue as if everything is normal.” 

Huntoon made a face, but said nothing. A second later, Vane raise his hand. Strange nodded. 

“What about the attacks and the missing patient?” Wyndham asked. 

“Attacks?” Strange looked confused for a moment. 

Wyndham glanced at Harleen before he continued. “The attack on Joker in the showers and the missing patie…” 

Strange cut him off. “We’ve found no evidence of a missing patient, no records of this patient, and none of you, except Dr. Kearney, remembered a name or even seeing this patient. That case is closed as a simple records issue. The patient was probably discharged and the patient files were lost. It has happened in the past. Now, in regards to Joker…” Strange glanced at Harleen once more while he spoke. “The Joker is a patient with a reputation for violence and making enemies. I’m sure the shower attack was one such incident. Trying to find out who orchestrated the attack would give us a long list of suspects and right now occupy time and resources that we currently do not have available. Not to sound callous…” Again he glanced at Harleen with an apologetic expression. 

“...but right now we have more major issues to worry about. From now on I think the best thing I can do is have Dr. Quinzel escort her patient to the showers. Is that acceptable Dr. Quinzel?” 

Harleen nodded. “Yes Dr. Strange.” 

“All right, if that is everything…” Strange looked around at the assembled physicians, but no one said anything else or raised their hands. 

Strange nodded and pushed up from the table. “All right now, all of you have a good day.” 

As the meeting broke up, Harleen stood up when Dr. Andrade came over to Harleen. “Ah, Dr. Quinzel, I was wondering if you could help me with my group therapy session?” 

Harleen turned to Dr. Maria Andrade. “Oh, ah, sure.” 

Dr. Andrade smiled. “I thought since you’ve been doing so well with the Joker and he hasn’t been violent recently…” She shrugged. “I know he’s just been moved back to his room...maybe--if you think it would be safe--you could bring him to the music therapy session. I hear he has a fantastic singing voice.” 

Harleen looked surprised, but smiled. If she brought Joker to music therapy it would be a little more time for them to spend together. Granted, they wouldn’t be alone, but it was time with him. Besides, it might be time to have him mingle, just a little, with some of the other patients. 

“Yes, I think that sounds like a great plan.” Harleen nodded. 

Dr. Andrade grinned. “Great! My session starts in half an hour. I’ll see you there.” 

Harleen nodded smiling. 

* 

Harleen was walking down to the guard room when she heard someone call her name. “Dr. Quinzel!! Dr. Quinzel!! Can I talk to you??” 

She turned around to see a young, dark-skinned man with thick black hair, attractive running toward her. If Harleen was to guess, she would think he had some Latin blood, maybe Central American heritage. He wore a guard’s uniform and he looked vaguely familiar… 

The young man stopped near her, skidding on the polished floor a few inches before dropping his hands to his knees for a moment taking a deep breath. 

He pushed himself up and smiled at her. He was attractive, perfect white teeth against his dark skin. 

“I’m glad I caught you, Dr. Quinzel. I ah…” He frowned, suddenly looking shy. “Um..I don’t know if you remember me.” 

Harleen smiled and shrugged. “I’m sorry. I mean, you look familiar, but I still don’t know the names of all the guards…” 

He put his hand out to her. “My name is Zach Franklin. I was in the room when that patient--the one who thinks he’s a bat--attacked you.” 

Harleen took his hand with a frown. “You mean when Kirk Langstrom attacked me, during the electric shock treatment.” 

He nodded, still holding her hand. “I was really impressed with how you handled him. I mean, you fought back, but you also had such compassion…” He blushed. “That’s not something I see a lot of in here.” 

Harleen blushed while at the same time she tried to pull her hand free without being rude. “Well, thank you. I think all the patients should be treated like people.” 

Zach nodded. “Yeah, I mean I heard you are working with the Joker and you’re actually making progress with him.” 

Again, Harleen blushed thinking about Joker, his mouth on hers, his hands… 

“Yes well...thank you. I need to…” She turned to leave, but Zach touched her arm, just a light contact. “I ah...I thought maybe we could have lunch together…” 

Harleen opened her mouth to refuse, but Zach put his hands up. “Oh, nothing like that. It's just, I got an uncle and I thought, if you wouldn't mind me picking your brain, I was wondering whether I should admit him here or maybe just an old folks home…” 

“Oh...oh, of course.” Harleen smiled. “I can meet you in the cafeteria later, sometime between two and three?” 

Zach grinned. “Thanks Dr. Quinzel.” 

“You can call me Harleen,” she said with a smile, turning to head back down the hall. 

Zach watched her go with a grin. “Harleen.” 

He sighed, his heart thumping hard as he watched her go. He didn’t believe in love at first sight, but after watching the way she handled that madman and now, just being close to her. She was so pretty, had the clearest, brightest smile, and she smelled so good... 

Zach turned with a bright smile and headed back to work. 

* 

A few minutes later, with an unhappy Cash walking behind Harleen and Joker (not having the guards to spare now with so many absent from the asylum’s roster, only Cash could escort them, which was fine with Harleen), Joker walked beside Harleen, towering over her, though he walked slightly hunched, smiling at her every time she looked over at him. 

Joker had noticed with disappointment that Harleen wasn’t wearing a dress, but instead had on a pair of bell bottom slacks that hugged her hips nicely and a tight sweater that made her breasts look amazing. He sucked on his bottom lip for a moment as he thought about her breasts, soft and sweet. His mind drifted to the thought of touching her, his fingers sliding into her, tasting her sweetness on his fingers. He had to force the thoughts away or else not just Harley would be aware of what he was thinking. 

Joker was bound in a straightjacket and cuffs on his ankles, link together with a chain. Joker shuffled along beside Harleen in his pink slippers and orange asylum pants. (Harleen wondered if he was wearing a shirt under the straightjacket or if he was bare chested as usual. The thought of running her hands over his skin, to feel the beat of his heart, the heat of his skin against hers…she had to force her thoughts away from imagining him naked, her groin aching with the thoughts of him touching her.) 

Harleen glanced up at him and had a difficult time not reaching up to stroke Joker’s green hair back from his face where the long curling strands fell over his forehead. 

He smiled at her, showing off his perfect teeth. “So music therapy, eh? This will be fun.” 

Harleen smiled. “Yes, when Dr. Andrade suggested it, I thought it was a brilliant idea. You do have a wonderful singing voice.” 

She did her best to keep her praise neutral, trying not to let any of her emotions that were twisted up with her feelings toward Joker leak into her voice, not with an audience of one close behind them. 

“I have been known to croon once in a while and I do have a nice voice if I say so myself.” Joker grinned at her, causing Harleen to laugh. 

“Modest aren’t you?” 

Joker laughed, the sound echoing down the mostly empty hall. “Why be modest? I know where my talents lie. I’m also very good with my fingers,” he said in a whisper meant only for Harleen. 

Harleen pushed her glasses up. She didn’t say anything in return, but her cheeks turned red, a red that rushed to the tip of her ears. 

Joker saw her blush and chortled with pleasure 

* 

The music therapy room was a smaller room than the art room. There were only a handful of patients in here. Of the more famous patients were Julian Day who referred to himself as Calender Man, Buddy Standier who called himself Condiment King, Arnold Wesker and his sock puppet, Maxi Zeus, along with Punch and Jewelee (one of the only married couples in the asylum.) There were three of the regular patients, Abby, Danzig, and to Harleen’s horror, Vicki Vale. 

Vickie saw Harleen standing in the doorway with Joker and the woman’s face lit up enough that Harleen had to ball her hands into fist not to grab her pen that was in her pocket and… 

Harleen was a little shocked at the thought that came to her and she was a little surprised at how intensely jealous she had become at the thought of Vicki Vale getting to talk to Joker. She pressed her lips together and forced herself to calm down. Her nostrils flared a moment as she took a deep breath. 

Dr. Andrade was sitting at the piano in the room while the patients spoke among themselves. There were no guards in here and only one orderly. Joker quickly took note of the lack of security in her; he had also noted the lack of staff in the halls on the way here, his mind quickly deducing that there was something wrong with the staff, or something wrong with the asylum, which would explain why Cash was the only guard to come with him today. He had seen the amount of snow outside on the way here, which made him wonder: was the asylum cut off right now? That would explain why the staff was so thin... 

He smiled to himself. This could be interesting. 

Dr. Andrade looked up from the piano with a bright smile. She had pulled her hair back into a ponytail which made her look no older than a teenager. “Dr. Quinzel, I’m so glad you made it and…” 

Dr. Andrade swallowed nervously. “The Joker.” 

Joker bowed formally, somehow making the move look elegant. “Good afternoon, Doctor.” 

Dr. Andrade smiled weakly. “Afternoon. Well, ah …” She turned her attention to Harleen. “...you can seat your patient over…” 

Dr. Andrade and Harleen both turned and Harleen’s eyes widened slightly behind her glasses whens she saw Vicki whisper to Maxi who shrugged and moved over to sit by Abby so that there was an empty seat next to her. The jealously that Harleen felt was a hot, red rage. She clenched her jaw as Dr. Andrade shrugged and smiled. “I guess you can sit next to Miss Cochran.” 

Cash grabbed Joker by his bound upper arm and led him over where he pushed Joker down in the chair. Vicki grinned at Joker, but Joker frowned before giving the young woman a lukewarm smile. He glanced over at Harleen with a clear “do I have to” look in his eyes. Harleen smiled. At least Joker wasn't happy with sitting next to Vale. 

Dr. Andrade drew Harleen’s attention to the music on the piano, but Harleen’s attention was divided as she kept glancing at Joker and Vickie. Vicki Vale was leaning too close to Joker, nearly touching him as she spoke in a hushed whisper. 

“We’re rehearsing for a little Christmas show,” Dr. Andrade explained. “I'm hoping Dr. Strange will let me up in the common room,” she said as she picked up the sheets of music on the piano to show Harleen. 

Harleen looked down, trying to divide her attention between Dr. Andrade and Vicki, but it was difficult. 

* 

Vicki Vale leaned close to Joker. “So, you’re the Joker,” she said in a whisper. 

Joker looked down at her with a small sneer on his lips. “What gave it away?” 

Vicki laughed. “Funny. So ah, this is your first time out of your cell?” 

Joker pursed his lips. “No, they let me take showers and I go to my sessions with Dr. Quinzel. Oh, and I got to go to hospital too.” 

Vicki laughed again, a sound Joker was quickly finding annoying. “You are funny.” She looked around, then smiled at him. “I would love to ask you some questions, like an interview.” 

Joker lifted a green brow at her. “Interview?” 

Vickie dropped her voice lower and scooted closer to him. Joker frowned, leaning away from her. He didn’t like this woman trying to touch him or get close to him. 

“Look, Joker, I’m going to tell you a secret. I’m not really a patient here…” Vickie began, but Joker chuckled. “Really? You seem to be dressed as a patient.” 

“I know, I’m here under disguise. My name is Vicki Vale. I’m a reporter, Dr. Quinzel knows and has agreed to be my…” Vickie began, but Joker grinned. “I’ve heard that name before…” 

Vicki brightened. “You have?” 

“You wrote that piece about Batman?” Joker asked and Vicki nodded. “Yes I did.” 

Joker grinned. “I read that. You sounded like you were in love with the big old Batass.” 

Vicki blushed. “Well, I mean, a writer usually falls in love with their topic to a certain degree.” 

“Does that mean you’re in love with me Miss Vale?” Joker once more quirked his eyebrow at her. 

“I...ah…” Vicki stuttered and Joker laughed a moment later. “It’s fine, I can understand why you would be in love with Batman, that chiseled jawline, those rippling muscles…” 

Vicki laughed then asked. “Are...are you gay? Is that why you’re obsessed with Batman?” 

Joker looked annoyed with her. “I’m not in love with him. Batman and I are the two halves of the same coin, we’re two threads in the same stitch...brothers really. We understand each other’s pain.” He tilted his head at her, his green hair flopping over to the side which made Vicki realize he really was a very handsome man, despite the ghost-like pale skin and green hair. His blue eyes were intense, she noted. A girl could get lost in them. 

“Though I suppose Miss Vale, if you love one of us, you love us both.” He laughed louder, drawing the attention of the other patients and the doctors. 

Vicki blushed. “Well...I suppose maybe that’s true.” She smiled at him and batted her eyelashes at him. Joker frowned slightly and wondered how Miss Vale would feel about him plucking her eyes out. 

Harleen looked over at them and Joker immediately noticed the fire in her eyes, the way her lovely lips were set in a frown. He grinned at that. She was jealous, his Harley was jealous! For a moment he thought about playing with her jealousy, but quickly dismissed the thought. That might have been fun with some other woman, like Vicki Vale, but not Harley, never Harley. The thought of her being jealous was both pleasant because he liked the idea of her being possessive of him--just as he felt for her--but also upsetting. He never wanted her to doubt him, he never wanted Harley to question his feelings toward her. When he left here, left the asylum, was taking her with him, one way or another. She was his and he didn’t want her to have any doubts that he was hers. 

They belonged together. 

Vicki had scooted uncomfortably close to him. “Anyway, I was hoping I could get an interview, an exclusive look at the crown prince of crime.” Vicki smiled and laid her hand on his knee. Joker narrowed his eyes slightly. 

“You know, I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately, why don’t you come to my cell, talk to me for about five minutes and as I slip into a coma, you could then fuck off?” Joker said with a smile 

Vicki jerked then blinked in surprise looking at him. “What?” 

“I said, fuck off,” Joker enunciated with a smile. 

Vicki frowned then narrowed her eyes. “You know what, I’m a reporter. I could make the public see you…” 

Joker leaned close to her, causing Vicki to pull back. “Miss Vale, do you really want to play this game?” His voice was soft, seductive. “Do you really want to tangle with me?” 

Vicki frowned. “Look, I just wanted to get your side of things, find out more about you. Like what are your motivations? Do you have a girlfriend? Do you care about anything…” 

Joker sat back and smiled. “Did Batman answer those sorts of questions?” 

“Well…” Vicki began hesitantly, which caused Joker to laugh. “If he didn’t answer them then why on earth do you think I would? I’ll give you this Vicki...I do care about one person.” 

“You do?” Vicki sat up straight. 

Joker nodded. “I do. She’s someone very special…” 

“A woman…” Vicki said this as a statement and not a question. 

Joker nodded. “All of Gotham will meet her soon…” 

“We will? How?”Vicki asked, but Joker only said softly. “It’ll be the best surprise…” 

Dr. Andrade turned to the patients. “All right everyone, let’s start with ‘Silent Night’ shall we?” 

She smiled at everyone, but Joker turned his eyes to Harley. 

She stared back at him from behind her glasses, a small frown on her lips. He smiled back at her and winked. 

Harleen felt a flutter in her stomach and smiled back at him, glancing shyly down, her cheeks turning red. 

Vicki frowned looking over at Dr. Quinzel then back at the Joker. Her eyes widened just a fraction. 

* 

Dr. Andrade grinned brightly after they had finished. “I had heard you had a good voice Joker, but...wow…” 

Joker beamed. He was standing next to Harley with Cash at his side, a hand painfully gripping his upper arm, though he didn’t react to Cash. 

“Thank you Dr. Andrade.” Joker bowed his head. “Singing is one of my favorite activities,” he explained. “Well, next to gassing people with laughing gas, but I can’t exactly do that in here now can I?” He laughed while Dr. Andrade turned a little pale. 

Harleen tried not to giggle. “Well, I need to take him for his session…” 

“I... ah...have another class the day after tomorrow, if you would like to bring him?” Dr. Andrade asked, indicating Joker with her eyes. 

Harleen looked up at Joker. “Would you like to sing again?” 

“I would,” he purred. “I promise I’ll be as good as gold.” Joker smiled, his blue eyes twinkling as he looked at Harley, and only after a long moment did he look over at Dr. Andrade with a smile. 

Dr. Andrade paled even more under Joker’s scrutiny, but Harleen answered. “I think we can show up again.” 

“Great…” Dr. Andrade said, taking a step back. 

Harleen looked at Joker with a smile. “Well, let’s head to my office shall we?” 

“Of course Dr. Quinzel,” Joker purred her name, sending little ripples of heat through Harleen as they turned to go. 

* 

Cash had just closed her office door, leaving them alone. Harleen stood up to walk over to lock the door when Joker said softly. “So we have a reporter in our midst, do we?” 

Harleen turned around walking over to him, but instead of crouching down to unlock the cuffs at his ankles that held him to the chair, she straddled his lap, laying her arms around his shoulders. 

“She told you that?” 

Joker lifted a brow at her in surprise when she didn’t uncuff him, but he nodded. “She did, asked me for an interview.” 

“Did she? What did you say?” Harleen frowned, causing Joker to chuckle softly. 

“Don’t be jealous, my sweets.” 

Harleen pursed her lips. “Who said I was jealous?” 

Joker smiled, tilting his head at her. “Your eyes pumpkin, but don’t worry, I told her to fuck off.” 

Harleen giggled. “Did you really?” 

He smiled brightly at her showing off his perfect teeth. “I did.” 

Harleen giggled with pleasure. 

“So, are you going to uncuff me, I can’t really do much like this.” He spoke softly brushing his nose against hers. “I can’t touch you.” 

“Maybe it’s my turn to touch you?” Harleen purred, the sound sending shivers through Joker’s core reminding him of just how much he wanted her. 

“Look at you, being all in charge,” Joker cooed. “I like it.” 

Harleen brushed her nose against his, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling herself closer. “I am in charge…” she whispered brushing her lips against his as she whispered, her blue eyes twinkling behind her glasses. “...I’m your doctor.” 

Joker purred. “Yes you are…” 

Harleen kissed him, a deep, passionate kiss that he felt down to his toes. 

He struggled a little against his straightjacket. He wanted to hold her, wanted to touch her, but there was something sexy in the frustration of having no control, being at her mercy. Running her fingers through his hair at the same time, Harleen kissed him deeply, her tongue twisting slowly, sensually with Joker’s tongue. She pressed herself against his quickly hardening erection. They both groaned as Harleen stroked her fingers through his hair, grinding on him while they kissed. She dragged her lips from his mouth to his ear, her tongue tracing the outer edges of his ear. 

Joker groaned softly, closing his eyes as the sensation of Harley’s tongue against his ear sent shivers down his spine. When her lips moved to his throat, feeling the soft bite of her teeth, he groaned a little deeper. 

Harleen let one of her hands slide down from around his neck, continuing down the front of his straightjacket, moving lower. Joker tensed as her hand snaked to his groin, his breathing becoming ragged. Her fingers brushed along his erection, her touch like fire...Joker hissed as Harleen sucked on his throat. Joker groaned in delight. 

The lights went out. 

Harleen went stiff, both of them waiting for a moment, but the lights didn’t switch back on. 

“What’s going on?” Harleen looked around, but her office was pitch black. That was when there was a knock at her office door. “Dr. Quinzel? The power’s out.” 

Joker hissed. “Fuck.” 

Harleen got up off Joker’s lap quickly and carefully moved over to unlock her office door and pulled it open. (Joker was thankful that it was dark because he really couldn’t hide his erection at the moment.) Cash was standing in front of her door, a flashlight in his hand. 

“Won’t the lights come back on in a minute?” Harleen asked. She could barely see Cash behind the beam of his flashlight which he panned into her office, highlighting Joker who turned his head and grinned at the guard. “Hiya Cash darling!” 

Cash gave Joker a dirty look, but turned back to Dr. Quinzel. “No, it’s been too long, they should have come back on by now. Even the emergency lighting failed. I need to go check on what’s happening.” 

Harleen tried to keep her reaction schooled, to refrain from showing her disappointment at having her session with Joker cut short. “Ah, yes of course.” 

Cash nodded stepping in to collect Joker. “You should stay here Dr. Quinzel. With the power out the halls is going to be super dark and the heat’s gone. I might need to move Joker to a different cell…” 

Joker chuckled as he stood up. “Better hope the other patients don’t figure out the power is out so completely or that you are so woefully understaffed at the moment. Might encourage a few to test their doors...and other weak links.” 

“Shut up,” Cash growled as he yanked Joker to his feet. 

Joker smiled as Cash shoved him past Harleen. “I’ll see you soon, promise,” Joker cooed at her only to have Cash shove him in the back and out the door. “Keep moving clown.” 

Harleen stepped out into the hall to watch them go, Cash’s light quickly swallowed up once they rounded a corner. 

* 

She waited in the dark of her office for half an hour, but when nobody came, Harleen set out on her own. She kept a hand against the wall to help guide herself until she entered a hall with a few windows. The light that came in was white grey and she could see there was still snow falling outside. 

She could hear some of the patients screaming or crying in the darkness, the sound spooky and frightening in the darkness. There were a few voices yelling that might be staff, but it was hard to discern among the patients’ cries. Harleen decided to head to the room where they usually had their morning meetings. If there was no one there, then she would head to the main cafeteria. After that, she wasn’t sure what she would do. 

The eerie part of her walk in the darkness was that she didn’t run into anyone else. That made her more uncomfortable than the cries, the screams in the darkness. 

When she finally arrived at the meeting room, she found Dr. Crane, Dr. Cavendish, and the Drs. Knots there waiting. 

Dr. Cavendish had a flashlight. 

“What’s going on?” Harleen asked as she slipped into the room looking around, her hand over her eyes as Cavendish shined the light on her. 

Dr. Crane shook his head from where he stood, his hands folded in front of him, the dim light from the flashlight making him look gaunt and frightening, almost like a scarecrow Harleen thought. 

“The main generator has gone out. That means no lights, no heat...just what we need while most of our staff isn’t even on the island.” 

“No heat in any of the buildings?” Harleen asked, looking between all of them. 

Dr. Crane nodded. “I don’t know the system, but with the main generator out, everything is out to all the buildings and the backup didn’t come on. It should have come on by now.” 

“Shit,” Archie Knots hissed, pacing along the length of the room. “This is a fucking nightmare, no power, no heat. The patients figure out we’re stranded and lacking staff...this is a fucking nightmare…” he repeated pacing the dark room before he turned around, his eyes huge. “What if we run out of food?” 

Archie’s sister rubbed his back. “I’m more worried about our patients. A lot of them won’t do well in the dark for extended periods of time.” She looked at everyone. “It’s only a matter of time before they lose what little bit of sanity they’ve all managed to regain. That could lead to riots.” 

Harleen pressed her lips together about to ask what they should do when Dr. Strange entered the room carrying a flashlight. “Oh good, I see some of you thought to come here,” he said. “Do we know where everyone else is?” 

Dr. Crane, along with everyone else shook their heads. “We’re the only ones here,” the thin doctor said, glancing at Harleen for confirmation. 

Harleen nodded. “I didn’t run into anyone on the way here from my office.” 

Strange frowned. “All right, I want you all to get some tranquilizers. We are going to need to start sedating some of the more volatile patients while this is going on…” 

“How long will the power be out?” Harleen asked. 

Strange frowned. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “All I do know is that we need to sedate some of our patients and to make sure they all have enough blankets. We’ll decide what to do next after that. If you run into any other members of the staff, let them know what we’re doing. We’ll also need to move some of the patients. Some of them that can handle sharing rooms, so those should be bunked together for the time being…” 

Strange looked at all of them, then growled. “Well, what are you waiting for?” 

* 

Over the next several hours, Harleen, along with the rest of the staff, did what they could to help the asylum’s patients, sedating those who couldn’t handle the darkness, pulling extra blankets from storage closets, moving patients that could handle having roommates together for extra warmth, but it was clear by the end of the day, they were not going to have power back anytime soon. And with Arkham cut off from Gotham for the foreseeable future, and snow continuing to fall, there was no telling how long this was going to last. 

Harleen had gone to see Joker first with several blankets in her arms. The moment she opened the door, Joker had yanked her into his room and shoved her up against the wall, letting the door slam shut, and plunging them into complete darkness. Before Harleen could speak, Joker pressed his mouth against hers, stealing a kiss, his hands holding her firmly by her upper arms. Harleen stiffened for only a moment before she melted into his kiss, dropping the blankets she was carrying to wrap her arms around him and pull his warm body close to hers. 

Joker growled softly, his hands moving from her arms to her shoulders, then slowly to her throat, his kiss providing the heat she was lacking. His fingers slid into her hair, his tongue twisting slowly with hers. 

Harleen’s hands moved up his sides, feeling the warmth of his skin, the silkiness of him. Her hands snaked around to caress his back, the tips of her fingers playing along the band of his pants. When Joker pulled away from her, letting her breathe again, Harleen gasped. She couldn’t see him in the darkness of his cell, but she suspected he could probably see her just fine. 

“How did you know it was me?” she asked. 

Joker licked her chin, then along her throat, his perfect teeth nibbling along her pulse, causing Haleen to squirm a little. “I could smell you, I could feel your breathing, hear your steps. I know the sound of your walk anywhere Harls.” 

Harleen shivered. For some strange reason she found that information more erotic than frightening, which her intellectual mind told her was a completely inappropriate response. 

Joker purred, dragging his nose against her cheek, his lips tickling the fine hairs along her skin when he spoke. “Can you stay?” 

“I can’t. The power is out and I have a lot I need to do, helping other patients. I’ll be missed. I just...” Harleen whispered. “...I wanted to make sure you were all right.” 

Joker brushed his fingers through her hair, tucking the blonde lock behind her ear, his lips brushing her ear when he spoke. “Be careful,” he whispered before gently stroking the sides of her throat and kissing her again, a deep sweet kiss that made her weak in the knees. 

When he let her go, stepping back, swallowed by the darkness in his room, Harleen stumbled away. She fumbled at the door latch a moment before she opened it, backing through the door. In the darkness, Joker’s eyes glowed blue. 

“I’ll come by in the morning,” she whispered before she hurried out, closing his door. 

After she had shut his door, Joker smiled. “I’ll just have to come to you,” he whispered, walking around his room, moving carefully, though the dark did nothing to limit his movements. 

* 

By the time Harleen returned to her room, with a flashlight in hand, she felt exhausted and half-frozen. She had been running around the asylum sedating patients (which had turned out to be a lot more patients than she had bargained for. Luckily she was only attacked once and that way by Maxi Zeus who was convinced the darkness was caused by his brother Hades), but she had also been waylaid by Vicki Vale who kept asking questions about the blackout and Joker; such as when she could see him again, would it be possible for her to interview him in his cell...Harleen had sedated her. She knew she wasn’t supposed to, probably shouldn’t have, but the urge to punch the woman had been so strong that Harleen figured she better do something before she actually did punch the reporter right in her mouth. 

Harleen later found out that everything was out, the electricity, the heat, the ovens in the kitchens...everything. One of the cooks had found an old portable camp stove and some propane which might work for a few days, but it looked like it was going to be cold food and drinks unless they decided to start building campfires in the middle of the cafeteria. 

The worst part Harleen thought, of this whole situation was knowing there wasn’t going to be any hot water for a shower. But as she dragged herself into her room, well past midnight, Harleen knew she needed that shower, cold or not. 

Her room wasn’t too cold yet, she noted thankfully, as she closed her door behind her using the flashlight she had gotten to guide herself into her room. She stripped out of her clothing, leaving them on the floor of the bathroom and turned on the water. The shower was lukewarm (probably the last warm water left in the water heater) and so she washed as quickly as she could, including her hair. By the time she was out of the shower, the water was just above icy temperatures. She dried and dressed swiftly in her warmest pajamas, braided her hair since she couldn’t dry it with anything other than a towel, and crawled into bed after digging out as many blankets as she could find. 

She groaned, wrapping herself as warmly as she could, flicked off the flashlight, and closed her eyes, letting herself sink into her bed. 

* 

Joker smiled, the lock on his door popping open easily. With a graceful twist of his fingers, he hid the now twisted spoon within the palm of his hand and quietly stepped out into the hall. He looked both ways, but the halls were both dark and silent. 

He licked his lips. First, to find out where Harley’s room was… 

* 

Harleen dreamt. 

Dreaming about Joker, his naked body pressed up against hers, the feel and scent of his skin, the taste of his tongue in her mouth, the heat of his voice brushing against her skin, his hand snaking between her legs while she reached out to touch him, to finally feel his erection in her hands... 

She woke with a start just as the dream was getting good. 

She sighed, not sure what had awakened her, but the room was frigid, her nose cold, but her body was hot. She could feel the beat of her heart between her legs, her nipples senstive to the brush of fabric against them. She shifted a little, her hand snaking down under the band of her pants, something she hadn't done in a while, but the dreams about Joker had been intense. 

That was when the flashlight she had left beside her bed snapped on. 

Harleen nearly shrieked, but in the next instant there was a weight on her bed and a hand over her mouth. She couldn’t see anything, the beam of the flashlight blinding her. She reached up to fling the blankets off, ready to fight off whoever this was when she heard Joker’s voice mixed with a soft chuckle. 

“Shhh, sweets.” 

Harleen’s eyes widened as the beam was moved and her eyes adjusted to see Joker sitting on the side of her bed. 

He grinned at her, the dim light glinting off his teeth. 

He moved his hand away from her mouth to stroke her cheek with the back of his fingers. 

“Hiya pumpkin.”


	15. Killing Her Softly

Harleen shoved herself up on her elbows looking around her dark room as if she thought the guards would come breaking down her door at any moment. Joker laid the flashlight back down on her bedside table, the light now at an angle that allowed her to see his pale skin illuminated in the soft, yellow glow, though she noted he wore the top that went with his Arkham patient uniform. He looked strange wearing the top since she had mostly seen him without a shirt or in a straightjacket. 

He watched her with amusement while he pulled out a couple of cigarettes and a beat up looking matchbook (the matchbook was on its last legs, the paper bent, worn, soft, and near the point of disintegrating), he had rolled into the band of his pants. He put the other cigarette back and placed the other between his lips without a care in the world, even crossing his legs as he lit the cigarette with one of two remaining matches in the book. 

“You can’t be here! How did you get out? Are you going to try to escape? No one can be off the grounds with the snow…” Harleen started to move while Joker inhaled on his cigarette while holding the flaming match to the end. After a second the end caught, burning a bright orange. He flicked the match out and set the shriveled black stick on the table next to her flashlight. 

He took a deep drag on the cigarette, holding the smoke for a few seconds before letting it out slowly from between his lips. 

“Damn, I needed that.” Joker smiled, the smoke lazily rolling from his lips before he looked down at Harley. She looked to be in her teens with her hair braided and wearing flannel pajamas, her blue eyes round with fear, her skin pale in the dim light. “You know sweets, you worry too much. Besides, I’m not ready to leave yet, not while you’re still here.” 

Harley sat up fully. “What if they find out you're missing?” 

Joker laughed, taking another drag on his cigarette before he answered. “No one saw me. I didn’t run into a single guard, nurse, or even a doctor on my way here.” He smirked. “Strange has a big problem on his hands just waiting to explode.” He looked around on her table for a second before he picked up the small glass of cold water that sat there and flicked his ashes into it. “Besides, we didn’t get to spend any time together today. I was feeling a bit…” He frowned as he said the word with a bit of wonder in his voice. “...lonely.” Then with more conviction, he murmured. “I missed you Harley.” 

Harley gazed at him, her brow furrowed. “I missed you too, but...you really need to leave.” 

Joker frowned softly looking down at her. “You want me to leave? Is that what you really want?” He reached out and brushed her cheek with the tips of his fingers. 

“I just…” Harleen bit her bottom lip, her eyes wide with fear, but she murmured. “No, no I don’t want you to leave.” 

Joker smiled, smoke rolling from his lips. “I was hoping you’d say that. I couldn’t stop thinking about you today. You sitting on my lap…” he licked his lips. “Your lips...the smell of your skin…” He leaned over and dropped his cigarette into the glass of water. 

Harleen opened her mouth to reply, to tell him that she missed him, that she thought about him all day, but that he needed to get back to his cell before someone decided to check on him. But then Joker reached up and caught her face between his hands. He held her firmly. 

Harleen stared back at him; his blue eyes held her. Joker gently stroked her cheeks with his thumbs, but his hands held her firmly, and she realized she couldn’t break away if she wanted to. 

“I don’t want to wait any longer Harley. I need you.” Joker’s voice sounded soft with a pleasurable growl in his throat that had Harleen burning for him. He reached out and tugged the hair tie from her hair, tossed it onto her bedside table. He brushed his fingers through her braid, unraveling her hair which was still slightly damp. 

“There, I like that,” he whispered. “I want to be able to run my fingers through your hair,” he purred softly. The words to a song came to Harleen as she gazed back at him. 

“Strumming my pain with his fingers 

Singing my life with his words 

Killing me softly with his song…” 

Joker was killing her, killing Harleen Quinzel, a young woman with big plans for a career in psychiatry, plans to make new advances in the study of the mind, plans to marry a doctor maybe, and live a perfect life. But Joker was slowly killing that woman to be replaced by… 

Harleen wasn’t sure who was replacing her, but as he leaned closer to her, his mouth slightly open, his eyes burning into hers, she realized she didn’t care. She wanted him to kill Harleen Quinzel and replace her with Harley. 

When his lips met hers, Harleen melted into him. His mouth moved slowly over hers in a tender kiss, his tongue gently caressing hers. She made a tiny sound of pure want that made Joker smile against her mouth. He deepened the kiss. His tongue slid with more demand against hers, his grip on her face loosening into a caress. 

She laid back and Joker moved down with her while he continued to kiss her gently. Harleen reached up to brush her hands along his sides when they heard a creak outside. 

Harleen stiffened. “What was that?” she asked, glancing in the direction of her door. 

Joker chuckled. “Just the building settling. I promise sweets, no one will know I’m here. Just relax.” 

“I can’t,” she said with a tremor in her voice. “I just...if you’re caught, if we’re caught…” Harleen started, but Joker kissed the tip of her nose, then her lips, a light, soft kiss that promised passion yet to come. 

“You have nothing to worry about. Now, are you gonna invite me into your bed or do I have to stay sitting on the side getting cold?” He lifted a green brow at her, a gentle amused expression on his lips. “I came all this way in the cold to see my girl…” 

Harleen looked unsure, but the thought of having him lying beside her, the warmth of his body next to hers. God she was weak. 

She scooted over and Joker grinned as he stood up, Harleen watched in surprise as Joker began to strip out of his clothing--all of his clothing--until he stood there naked. Harleen stared, looked upon him in the light from the flashlight as it danced over his pale skin. She let her gaze travel down his body, his lean, well-tone body with just enough muscle to make him look like a dangerous predator meant to run, twist, and claw its way through the wild. She licked her lips as her eyes traveled past his flat stomach to his hips and waist. She wanted to touch him, wanted to run her hands all over his body, followed by her tongue and her lips. The urge felt animalistic. 

Her eyes lingered, as if afraid to look further, but then she did. Harleen swallowed. Joker was hairless, smooth milk-white skin. He wasn’t fully erect yet, but...oh...wow...she thought, her eyes widened a fraction. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth as she gazed at him, slowly tracing a line from his sex to his face. 

She felt a tickle of excitement that started in her chest and plunged to her groin. She couldn’t wait to touch him, to feel him harden at her touch... 

Joker looked beautiful. 

He smiled at Harleen as he pulled back the cover and crawled into the bed with her. 

He grinned. “You kept it warm,” he murmured. 

Harleen blushed, but then Joker reached up her, cupping the side of her throat as he guided her closer to kiss her again. Harleen felt weak. Her body was on fire, she felt like liquid, molten metal struggling to hold a form as Joker gently urged her onto her back. She wanted this, she wanted to be with him, to have Joker unmake her, she wanted him more than she had ever wanted anything. 

She made a soft sound of surrender, reaching up to brush her fingers through his thick green hair, then along his shoulders, enjoying the feel of his naked skin. 

* 

Joker struggled to keep himself under control. He wanted to strip Harley naked, to feel the silk of her warm skin against his body, to taste her, touch her, but they had all night and he didn’t want to rush this, their first time. 

It probably would sound silly, even to his own ears if he were to say it out loud, but he wanted this time with Harley to be special. He wanted their first time to linger so he could linger over her, over this moment. He wanted to memorize this moment, the feel and taste of her, the sounds she made. That experience would be his and hers alone, something no one could ever take from them. He had never wanted sex before, had never felt those urges. He didn’t need or want companionship, didn’t care about anything or anyone, but now that he had Harley in his life, he was not going to let her go, and he found that he wanted all of those things. He wanted to hold her, kiss her, make love to her, always, always her. The thought of what was going to happen in the future with Harley at his side was exciting, a great and chaotic unknown, and he was looking forward to it. 

It was so funny! 

With his body pressed tight against hers, Joker kissed his way down to her throat and over to her ear. She heard that deep, soft growl in the back of his throat as his tongue caressed her ear before he nibbled his way down to the base of her throat. Joker slid his hand down along her chin as his fingertips caressed her chin lightly, then slowly he dragged his fingertips lower, tracing the line of her neck to caress the hollow of her throat then over the hint of exposed warm skin just above the buttons of her pajamas. 

Joker licked her ear while his fingers found the first button of her top, working slowly to pull the button through the slot. His heart beat with excitement, but he refused to rush, working slowly on the next button. Once that button was undone, he started on the next, his long, slender fingers working blindly, yet gracefully to open the next button. 

He kissed her along her jaw, nibbling gently as his teeth brushed her skin only to be replaced with his tongue. A soft groan escaped Joker’s lips. He wanted to run his tongue and his fingers over every inch of her, over the body of his Harley. He planned to do that. Only armed guards bursting into her room were going to stop him from drinking her in tonight. He planned to stay with her until the morning light began to peak through the grey snowy clouds. 

Harleen groaned, her nipples hard, aching to feel him touch her. The meerest brush of the fabric from her pajamas was an agony of sensation that made Harley moan a little louder. Joker had barely touched her skin yet; when he touched her, she knew she was going to blaze to life. 

Joker focused his attention on the buttons of her pajama top, his lips caressing her jaw and ear. The tension building between them filled the air around them and even though the room was ice cold Harleen felt like she was on fire. 

She brushed her short nails up and down his back, enjoying the smooth curve of his skin under her fingers. She ran her other hand along his arm, caressing his soft white skin, stroking the slender biceps. 

Joker took his time peeling her top aside, exposing her breasts to the chill air. He enjoyed the building of tension, the quickening of her breath, the sweet heat of her skin and the quick, rabbit-like beat of her heart. 

Pushing himself up on an elbow Joker looked down at her, teasingly running the tips of his fingers down her torso, skating along the skin down to her belly button. 

“You are like a work of art,” Joker purred. “Like a sweet spring day in an untouched field of wildflowers.” 

Harleen took in a soft breath. “You’re a poet?” 

Joker laughed low and deep. “I am. You bring out the funniest things in me, my Harley girl…” He stroked gently under her breast, watching the way her chest rose and fell in the shadows of the flashlight, the hint of her nipples in the light. His groin ached as his erection throbbed for her. 

“You make me want to say the funniest things…” he whispered as his fingers brushed against her nipples. His touch made Harleen gasp and arched her chest. 

“You make me want to sing about love and devotion…” He frowned, tracing a circle around her nipple. “You wormed your way into my soul and now I don’t think I could live without you.” 

He whispered the last part before he leaned down and stroked his tongue over her nipple. Harleen groaned, shuddering as he focused his attention on her breasts, gently sucking and licking at her nipples. His attentions caused tiny quakes through ripple through her body. The merest stroke of his tongue had her moaning with pleasure, until she was sure she was going to climax from the intensity of his tongue against her skin, or the gentle pull of his lips as he sucked on her nipple. 

She shifted her position a little more to her side with Joker wrapping his arm around her and pulling her closer. She cradled his head against her breasts, stroking her fingers through his thick green hair and shuddered each time he sucked on her nipple, his hand pressed against her rear, squeezing gently as he pulled her leg up, wrapping his bare leg around hers. 

Her hand caressing his arm moved to trace his side, brushing over his naked hip, her fingers lightly caressing his hip bone. Joker made a soft growl, but he didn’t stop her or move away as she worked her fingers down to his erection. She brushed her fingers gently over him, causing Joker to jerk a little. 

“Not yet,” he whispered as he reached down to move her hand back to his hip. “Soon…” 

In response she captured his mouth in a knee weakening kiss. Joker groaned against her lips, pulling her closer, reaching up to cup her breast. He squeezed gently, pinching her nipple between his thumb and forefinger. 

Harleen moaned and arched her breasts toward his touch. She felt lost in sensation, her mind so completely focused on the man in her arms that she didn’t hear the first knock at her door. 

Joker dropped his mouth back to her breasts, his tongue raking across her nipples when the second knock sounded; a light tap on the door, but there followed by a voice. 

“Dr. Quinzel? Are you up? I ah...I saw the light under your door...I brought you something that I found that might help.” 

Harleen stiffened, her eyes wide. It sounded like Zach Franklin. “Shit!” 

Joker nibbled on her breast, holding her tightly when she tried to push him away. 

“I have to get that! You need to hide!” Harleen hissed. 

Joker growled against her breasts. “Just ignore them.” 

“Dr. Quinzel, are you all right?” The voice was definitely Zach’s voice. 

“Just a minute!” Harleen called out, finally pushing Joker off of her. “Hide! Please!” 

Joker chuckled whispering. “Fine--but hurry.” 

Harleen crawled over him and grabbed the flashlight holding her top together with her hands. Her heart was beating so loud and so fast that she was surprised the sound wasn’t echoing off the walls. She took a deep breath and opened it just a crack (she noted with alarm that Joker had not locked it.) She saw Zach Franklin on the other side of the door holding a cardboard box and a flashlight. He was wearing a large navy blue coat and a winter hat pulled down low over his ears. His face was pale in the flashlight beam. 

He smiled at her. “I was just going to leave these at your door, but when I saw the light I thought you might still be up.” 

He was staring at her hair which she was sure was a sight, and even with the door only opened a crack he could probably tell she was holding her top together. When his eyes snapped down then quickly back to her face she knew she was correct. 

“Ah, yeah I was just going to sleep, but it feels weird with it being so...utterly dark that I left the flashlight on.” Harleen smiled and shrugged. “A bit childish and a waste of batteries, but…” 

She took a quick glance over her shoulder. She couldn’t see much, but she was sure Joker wasn’t hiding, but rather still lying in her bed! Ugh… 

She turned her attention back to Zach, giving him a smile. 

“Oh!” Zach smiled at her. “I understand, sorry if I woke you, but…” He held up the small cardboard box he was holding. “I found some candles, so I thought I would bring you a few and uh...there’s a box of matches too.” 

“Oh, thank you. That’s really nice of you…” Harleen frowned for a moment. If she let go of her top...but Zach saved her. “I’ll just set them right here…” He set them on the floor then pushed them next to the door. “There, you can just pull them in.” 

Harleen frowned. “Thanks...Uh...I…” 

Zach blushed. “It’s fine. Uh...see you at breakfast? I don’t know if you heard, but Dr. Strange is only going to keep the one cafeteria in the main building running since we only have a couple of those camp stoves...so maybe you would have breakfast with me…” He suddenly looked nervous. “I mean...I know this isn’t like the ideal conditions...and...we...” Zach groaned softly.. “Sorry...I sound stupid.” 

Harleen couldn’t help the giggle. “Sure, I’ll see you at breakfast, and thank you for the candles.” 

Zach blushed and nodded. “Sure, ah, I hope you sleep well--stay warm.” 

“You too,” Harleen said as she pulled the box inside with her foot while trying to block the view of her bed with her body before she closed the door. 

She stayed by the door listening for Zach’s retreating footsteps before she sagged in relief, making sure her door was locked before she turned around shining the light toward Joker. He was lying in her bed, his hands behind his head, the sheet only barely covering his hips, tenting where his erection stood at attention. She didn’t understand why he wasn’t freezing in the cold, but he looked comfortable. She took a deep breath, her eyes raking over him before she hissed. 

“Why didn’t you hide??” she asked with annoyance, walking back across the room. 

Joker chuckled. “He couldn’t see me unless he shone the light right in here and you weren’t going to allow him to do that. So, who was that?” His voice became just a little darker, betraying his jealousy. 

“One of the guards,” Harleen said with the air of someone who had already dismissed the other man as she looked into the box and pulled out three candles, all of them white, squat long burning types of candles. She rummaged around until she found the matches and walked back over, handing the flashlight to Joker while she set the candles on her bedside table. She struck a match and lit the candles. 

Joker watched her, holding the light on her, smiling as the beam showed the shadow of her breasts through the fabric of her pajamas. 

Once the candles were lit, she turned toward Joker who shone the flashlight up to her face. 

“Strip first,” he said training the flashlight beam on her. 

Harleen blushed shyly until Joker added with a tiny trickle of a plea in his voice. “Please.” 

Harleen nodded, still blushing as Joker held the light on her. She licked her lips nervously, stopped moving when she thought she heard a noise, but she turned back to Joker and let her top slide down her arms to the floor. 

Joker watched intently as Harley pulled her pants down. She was shivering in the cold as she pushed both pajama pants and panties to the floor. She stood up, perfectly and beautifully naked. Joker shone the light over her and his erection throbbed at the sight of her. Her perfect breasts, soft hips, shapely legs. He let the light caress her, his breath becoming ragged at the sight of her. 

Harleen wrapped her arms around herself and hissed. “It’s cold.” 

Joker chuckled, flicking off the flashlight and setting it on the table. “Then come here and let me warm you up.” 

He shifted over to her abandoned side of the bed and Harleen quickly hurried over to slip under the covers, warm from Joker’s body heat. He didn’t wait for her to settle; as soon as she was between the sheets Joker pressed her onto her back, his mouth hungry on hers. While they kissed his hand skated down her torso to caress her belly with the tips of his fingers before sliding lower. 

His hand cupped her sex, pressing between her legs for a moment before his fingers sought out the spot he knew would make her scream. 

When he touched her, Harleen’s reaction was instant; she arched and gasped at his welcome, delightful touch. His fingers stroked over her clitoris. She was so wet that his shaft pulsed when he touched her, teased her clitoris with his fingertips, stroking slowly. He pulled away from her mouth, placing a soft kiss to her shoulder, then along her collar while Harleen stroked her fingers along his spine. His kisses moved lower. He kissed her breasts, pressed his lips along the shape of each breast before slowly circling a perfect, pink nipple with his tongue. 

Harleen made little ragged moans of pleasure while stroking his arm and hair. He pressed a kiss to her breast bone, pushing himself lower to follow a line down her stomach, his tongue circling her navel before he bit at her soft skin gently. 

Harleen sucked in ragged breaths as Joker moved lower still, pressing kisses to her hip bones, following the crease between her legs and hip. He moved again, spreading her legs and resetting himself between them. He gazed at her sex, his fingers stroking the tender skin of her stomach and along the slight mound of curling hair. His hunger to taste her overwhelmed his senses. He had been dreaming about his lips on her clitoris, her legs around his head, for some time now and here she was...his dream girl a reality. 

“What are you doing?” she asked, pushing herself up on her elbows. She knew what he wanted to do, but she was scared. She had never been intimate with anyone before, she had let Joker touch her like no one ever had and she knew exactly what he wanted to do, and even though she wanted him, her apprehension made her shake… 

She glanced at her door as she heard a sound on the other side, but just as quickly her attention was brought back to Joker as he kissed the inside of her thigh, making her shudder for an entirely different reason than nervousness. 

Joker spread her legs a little wider. “Just relax Harls. I won’t hurt you.” He smiled a little wider. “It’s my first time too. I want to indulge in you,” he whispered. “I want to take you, I want to fill all my senses with you.” He brushed his lips over her, his hot breath caressing her clitoris. “Let me indulge in my Harley.” 

He traced her with his fingertips admiring the rosy pink, glistening core of her. Every part of her was beautiful. His fingers brushed along her sex, a light, feather touch before he dragged his tongue over her. His desire surged through him and his erection felt engorged with want for his Harley. 

Harleen shifted with a gasp. “Puddin…” 

She moaned loudly when his tongue pressed against her clitoris, his tongue then sliding inside her to move around slowly. Her eyes crossed as a wave of pleasure rolled over her. She muffled her next louder moan by biting her fist. 

Joker groaned in response to her nickname and buried his mouth against her, tasting the heady flavor of her on his tongue and lips. 

He opened his mouth wide, his tongue dragging along the length of her, pressing firmly against her. She tasted of sweetness, the sweetest thing he had ever known. He adjusted his hold on her, pulling her hips up a bit further, flicked his tongue over her clitoris, then sucked at the delicate flesh, holding her clitoris between his lips until he felt that rush of increased wetness from her accompanied by her muffled cries. Her legs went stiff, her thighs tightening against his cheek. Her pleasure made him smile as he licked her thoroughly. 

He caressed her hips while twirling his tongue against her, tasting her pleasure when it surged again, indulging himself in the flavor of her. He kept his movements slow and gentle, listened for her reactions, wanting and needing to please her again. He wanted her to cum as many times as he could make her, aware once he was inside her, he wouldn’t be able to last long. He wanted her too much. 

Harleen reached down to caress his face, looking down to see him between her legs, his eyes hot and heavy as he kissed her, moving his tongue over her clitoris...then he sucked on her and Harleen had to bite her bottom lip not to cry out in a scream of delight. She bent her legs and thrust her hips gently at him, sucking on her bottom lip to stifle her cries, her fingers tight in his green hair. 

Harley’s reaction almost made him climax right then. When he heard her cry mixed with the taste of her on his tongue, his erection throbbed, and a bead of his excitement leaked out. He had to fight himself to hold back. He groaned against her, burying his mouth against her sex, wrapping his lips around her clitoris once more, his hands sliding up her body to grasp her breasts while his thumbs stroked against her nipples. 

All coherent thought fled as Joker made Harleen climax yet again. It was hard to remain focused on the sounds outside her door when his tongue was inside her. She jerked and gasped, her fingers pulling at his hair. Every time she opened her eyes to look down at him, she would catch his blue eyes on her, watching her reactions. He smiled and god she could feel his smile against her sex before he sucked on her clitoris again until she was thrashing with the pleasure of it. 

When he stopped, kissing his way back to her mouth, Harleen murmured. “Let me..” 

He kissed her, plunging his tongue into her mouth, cutting off her words. She could taste herself on his lips. She wrapped her legs around his hips, feeling the tease of his erection between her legs. Harleen forced Joker over onto his back. He chuckled as Harley started to kiss his chest, biting at his nipples before she moved lower. 

“Harley…” He purred her name, brushing her hair behind her ears as she rubbed her face against his stomach, kissing him gently before rubbing her cheek across his skin again. 

Joker reached down to comb his fingers through her hair. “Harley,” he whispered again.. 

She smiled and slid lower, straddling one of his legs. He licked his lips, feeling the wet heat of her sex against his knee at the same time she looked up at him, his erection near her lips. 

“I want to feel you in my mouth puddin…” Harleen purred. “I want to…” 

Harleen gazed at his pale erection, colored with a hint of a rosy blush from his hot blood. He really looked beautiful. She reached out to lightly caress his shaft with the tips of her fingers, pressing her thumb and forefinger against him. She slid her thumb up the underside of his shaft to make him shudder. She smiled and bit the side of her bottom lip, gently stroking her thumb up his length. 

Joker groaned at her touch. He had never been touched before, never cared or wanted to be intimate with anyone before, but Harley touching him felt right. It felt perfect. He looked down at her with a smile, reaching out to brush her cheek with his fingertips. She smiled at him, her blue eyes heavy with lust and need, bright and glittering from her excitement. She kept her eyes locked with his as her tongue peaked out from between her lips. Joker watched her, mesmerized as she brought the tip of her tongue to his erection, brushing the tip of his shaft with her tongue. 

Joker groaned, his breath more ragged as he watched her lying across his leg, naked and beautiful, her tongue on his shaft... 

She licked him again, scooting a little closer to wrap a hand around him. Joker hissed at the feel of her soft, warm hand against his sensitive skin. Just seeing her hand around his erection was enough to send him gasping. 

Her lips were warm and soft as she placed warm kisses along the side of his erection. She kissed the tip of his shaft, brushing her nose and lips against him, biting tenderly before she wrapped her lips around him. 

Joker groaned loudly, bucking his pelvis when she lowered her mouth down on him. Her mouth, wet, warm...she sucked deep, slowly taking him into her mouth. Joker watched her as she relaxed her jaw and took every inch of him into her mouth. 

Joker’s moan was deep and Harleen felt the tremor that rolled over him. She smiled slowly, dragging her lips up and down his length. She loved the way he felt in her mouth, the smoothness of his erection, how he filled her mouth and touched the back of her throat, the sounds he made. She knew she would never tire of hearing his moans of surrender, of knowing she could have him, the Joker, so vulnerable, so...hers. This was only for her, only for them. God, she wanted to wrap herself around him, in him, to become part of him and for him to become part of her… 

She shifted her position a little and gently massaged his scrotum while she continued to suck on him, realizing that she loved doing this, that sucking on him, sucking on her Joker was just as pleasurable for her as it was him. She bobbed her head up and down before grasping the base of his shaft with her hand and stroked him while she sucked on the head of his erection, giving herself over to her urges, letting her needs and wants guide her. She pressed her teeth lightly against the velvet softness that was the head of his penis while stroking him firmly. 

Joker arched his back, groaning deep in the back of his throat. He never realized how much he wanted this, wanted her. Her lips, her tongue...the way she kissed him... 

Joker groaned loudly. “Harley...stop…” 

She looked up with a frown. 

“Come here...you keep doing that, this is going to be over really quick.” He chuckled. “It seems in some aspects I’m just a man…” 

He tugged at her, urging her up. 

Harleen crawled up his body. Once she was close, he captured her mouth with his. His tongue in her mouth was so sweet, and Harleen lost herself in kissing him, feeling the warmth of his body against hers. She had been dreaming of being with him, naked, twisted limbs and tongues, but the dream was a pale shadow compared to the realization, the raw experience of feeling him pressed against her, his erection caught between them and burning against her skin. Harleen moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body against him. 

Joker wrapped his arms around her. His hands spread wide against her back needing to feel as much of her as possible. He caressed her back, following the flow of her spine to her rear. He grasped her rear with both hands smiling at how perfectly her ass fit in the grip of his hands. 

He pulled away from her mouth, breathless, but smiling. He stroked a lock of her hair back, still slightly wet and cold, behind her ear. Her hair was drying into a beautiful mess of blonde waves. 

“Are you my girl?” he asked, his eyes searching her face as the candlelight flickered across her features. There was an intensity in his gaze, and Harleen realized Joker felt a little nervous just like her. 

“I’ll always be your girl puddin,” Harley purred. 

“Good.” He rolled her onto her back and said softly. “I’ll always be your Joker…” 

Harley giggled as he pressed her into the mattress while positioning himself between her legs, He reached down to grasp his erection, brushing his shaft against the hot, wetness of her, coating the head of his erection with her pleasure. He slid himself against her clitoris, causing Harley to groan and bite her bottom lip in pleasure and anticipation. He leaned on his other hand, his eyes rolling closed for a moment as he struggled to control himself. The merest touch of her made him want to explode. He pressed his teeth into his bottom lip hard, holding himself stiff for a moment, fighting the urge to climax. 

“Ready?” he asked trying to sound confident, but he found himself a little nervous--a strange sensation for him. 

Harley nodded, her voice a desperate whisper. “Yes.” 

Joker smiled just before he slid into her. 

Harleen hissed at a slight, sharp burst of pain that quickly faded as Joker pressed himself deeper into her until she jerked not with pain, but pleasure. 

He took her hands, lacing his fingers with hers, pulling them over her head as he leaned down to kiss her desperately, their mouths moving hungrily together while Joker thrust into Harley. Harleen squeezed his hands, kissing him hard, sucking on his tongue while he thrust, rocking her with each push, hitting new and more tantalizing spots inside her with each thrust. She moaned loudly, the bed creaking while he thrust inside her. She wrapped her legs around his thrusting hips up to meet him, her cries muffled against his mouth when her orgasm ripped her in half, blinding her. She whimpered with pleasure against his mouth, her entire body awash with shuddering ecstasy until she felt as if she was floating. 

When Harley tightened around him, liquid heat flooding over him, Joker came with a burst that had him blinded for a moment. His cry was deep, the intensity of the pleasure he felt had him thrusting hard and fast for a few quick beats until his entire body grew weak as if the orgasm was just too much for him to take. 

Joker growled, burying himself as deep inside her as he could, squeezing her fingers between his fingers. 

He licked her jaw, brushing her lips, and hissed, “Harley...” 

Harleen moaned against his mouth, shuddering on another orgasm when he growled her name. 

She was too befuddled with pleasure for words for a few seconds--her orgasm almost blinding her--but as she recovered, Harleen whispered. “My Joker...my puddin... 

Joker jerked, hissing and clenching his jaw. Her calling him her Joker while they were joined did something to him, broke something in him that he couldn't identify. He pressed his forehead against hers and grinned. “You are just so good...so delicious…” he whispered. “So damn beautiful.” 

Harleen giggled then groaned as he pulled out of her. 

He rolled off of her and pulled her close for a moment, kissing her tenderly before he hopped out of the bed, taking all the heat with him. 

Harleen made a little sound of discontent that made Joker laugh. “Don’t worry, my sweet. Tonight isn’t over yet.” 

He walked into the bathroom and she heard the water in the sink run before he came out a few seconds later with a rag for her. “It's cold,” he said as he handed it to her. 

Harleen quickly cleaned herself up, noticing a little bit of blood on the wash rag in the candlelight. 

After she was finished he took the rag and tossed it back into the bathroom where it hit the floor before he crawled back into bed with her, pulling her close. He rested his head on one of her pillows, his arm under his head, his other hand on her hip. 

Harleen rolled onto her side to face him, one arm under her head, her other arm up between her breasts. “So where do we go from here?” 

Joker laughed. “Did you ask me that question before?” 

“Seems we keep crossing lines,” Harleen said softly as she caressed her fingers over his chest. 

Joker smiled, relaxing as she caressed his skin. “Mm...there’s always a new line to cross Harley.” 

Harleen frowned, her fingertips tracing the line of his collarbone, smiling at the way her skin looked so dark compared to his ghostly pallor. 

He frowned slightly at her and reached up to trace her bottom lip. “You regret this?” 

She smiled, her eyes following her fingers as she stroked his chest. The dim flicker of candlelight made him look like a ghost in her bed. “Funny thing is I don’t, not one bit. I just...I know I don’t want anyone...except you.” She looked into his blue eyes and saw the candlelight made them glow softly. He had the bluest eyes, Harley thought and the way he looked at her was with such tenderness. 

She would do anything for this man. It was stupid she knew that. He was her patient, she was his doctor and now? She had thrown it all away for...him… 

“No, I don’t regret this,” Harleen purred snuggling closer. 

Joker chuckled, rubbing his nose against hers. “Good, because I need you again…” 

“Already??” she asked with a lauh. 

Joker growled seductively while brushing his nose against her cheek. “The beast is awake now.” 

Harleen giggled. “Beast?” 

Joker shrugged, dragging his fingers over her breasts, caressing her nipples--causing Harleen to jerk and gasp, her own heart responding immediately--while he continued. “...been a virgin for a long…” He thought for a moment then shrugged. “No idea, but it’s been my whole life. You know, Dr. Strange made a guess I am around forty-eight years old so...a long damn time!” He tilted his head and smiled at Harleen. 

Harleen reached up to tuck some of his green hair behind his ear. “Well, you don’t look that desperate.” She smirked at him. “You know, since you have a naked woman in your bed...or my bed.” 

He laughed pulling her closer and ducking down to nibble at her breasts. Harlen squealed softly, shivering a little as his tongue flicked across her still sensitive nipples. 

“Well, I guess you have me beat. I’m twenty-nine, so I’ve been a virgin for much less time.” Harleen giggled as Joker shifted to lower himself closer to her breasts, his licking becoming more intent, but he whispered against her skin. “I was just waiting for you,” he purred. “Just waiting for you to show me what I’ve been missing.” He growled while his hand slipped between her legs. “My girl…” 

Harleen’s moan was loud. She didn't mean to be so loud, but it was like all her nerve endings were on overload, every touch instantly turned her on, each stroke sent her spiraling into an orgasm. She jammed her knuckles into her mouth to stop herself from being so loud. 

Capturing her mouth again in a long, sweet kiss, Joker pulled back to lay his forehead against hers. “You’ve got me under some spell Harley…” He chuckled. “I hope this snow lasts a long time, all of us stranded here, the others slowly beginning to eat each other alive while you and I stay right here, fucking all winter until the snows melt away, then we’ll leave here together, disappearing into Gotham City.” 

“You--you want me to go with you?” Harleen whispered, but Joker looked shocked. “You are not a fling Harley. I didn’t give myself to you just to walk away. Tonight, this was a commitment, a binding...you’ll never be rid of me.” Joker kissed her nose with one of his eyebrows cocked up. 

Harleen stroked his face, staring into his eyes. “You’ll never get rid of me either Mistah J.” 

Joker grinned, kissing her again before making his way once more to her breasts. 

There was the sound of someone opening a door down the hall and someone walked into the hallway. 

Harleen stiffened at the sound, but Joker continued rubbing his fingers against her while he leaned to lick her nipples. Harleen tried to hear where the person was walking, but Joker brushed his teeth over her nipple and Harleen hissed. “Puddin…” She stroked her fingers through his hair. 

He rubbed her, his fingers finding her clitoris once more. He tapped his finger against her, the vibration of him tapping his finger against her had Harleen thrusting against him and the bed creaked softly. 

“There’s someone out there…” Her voice was breathless as she struggled to listen, but Joker was very distracting. 

Joker rolled her onto her side. She let him move her around; he lifted her left leg, his hand sliding down the back of her thigh. She could feel that his erection was back already, which made her smile. 

Joker purred against her ear while he stroked his erection against her dripping wet opening. “Do you want me again?” he asked. “Because I want you, again, and again, and again…” He chuckled. 

Harley giggled, glancing over her shoulder at him. “I want us to make up for all the time we lost before we found each other.” 

Joker purred and leaned down to lick her ear. “You know exactly what to say sweets.” 

He gradually slid inside her with a groan, Harley’s groan mixing with his. He thrust once causing Harley to arch and moan a little louder. 

Harley wrapped her leg around his hip and thigh. Joker grunted, thrusting deep into her again, his hand gripping her hip. His eyes rolled up in delight as he felt her surrounding him, plunging deep into the warmth and wetness of her, so deep... 

“Uh...Harley...uh...” 

His groan of pleasure rolled over Harleen. 

Lying on her side, Harleen shuddered, loving the sound of his moans and grunts, especially when Joker called her the nickname he had given to her. She gasped low and deep as he slid deeper into her, his hands on her hip, holding her while he thrust. In this position, on her side, Joker was buried so deep that Harleen jerked with pleasure with every thrust he pressed into her. She felt it everywhere, as if he were touching every part of her at once. She arched her back in response with a low cry, a small orgasm rippling over her like a miniquake. She grasped the side of the mattress with one hand while reaching up to grasp Joker’s shoulder with her other hand. She needed to hold on because each thrust felt as if he were trying to drive her over the edge, maybe split her in two. 

How could so much pleasure remain within one person? 

Joker grunted loudly, pulling out of her causing Harleen to blinked in confusion at the sudden loss of him. He pulled her around, rose up on his knees, pulling Harley up on her hands and knees with him. He stroked her rear, caressing her hips before he used his knee to spread her legs a little wider. 

Harleen dropped to her elbows, her rear in the air as Joker grabbed her hips, steadying her as he once more slid into her, plunging himself as deep as he would go. 

Both of them cried out before Joker grasped her hips with both hands and fucked her, hard and fast, giving into his desire to just take her. 

Harleen’s entire bed rattled, not used to being abused this way. Harleen arched, gasping as he found a new place to hit. He squeezed her hips, grunting with pleasure. The slapping of flesh against flesh caused Harleen to bite her bottom lip as another orgasm slammed over her. 

She twisted to look at him, on his knees behind her, both his hands on her hips, and his erection buried inside her. He looked amazingly handsome, a fine sheen of sweat on his pale skin despite the chill of the room. His dark green curls had fallen over his brow, making him look younger. Joker’s eyes were mostly closed in the throes of pleasure, but a slit of blue showed through the dark curtain of his lashes and his pale skin was flush with a light rose color in places. He thrust his hips hard and fast, whimpering with each thrust. When Harley’s pleasure flooded over him he groaned, slowing his thrusts, moving with a steady deliberateness, each thrust slow and deep. 

His fingers grasped at her skin. Harleen wondered if he was going to leave bruises on her and realized she hoped he did. She wanted those bruises, a sign of their passion and how deeply she could affect him. 

He opened his eyes more when he saw her looking at him and smiled at her. He continued thrusting in a smooth rhythm, deep and hard, each slide in and out making them both groan, a sound that mixed with the wet noises of their fucking. 

Her fingers dug into the sheets, crying out with each thrust, her pleasure building higher and higher again. The thought that someone might still be in the hall disappeared; she didn’t care. She could only care about Joker. She could feel the building tension inside her like a kettle of boiling water. It felt as if she were struggling to hold back the flood, though she wasn’t sure why she was holding back. Joker groaned, thrusting into her particularly deep, a hard thrust that she felt to her toes. There was an explosion and the dam inside her splintered yet again. She tensed just before it happened, a quivering, erotic moment, a single breath, and when the tension broke, it was like she was being cracked open and stars spilled out. 

Harleen cried out, pressing the sound into the blankets of her bed, sobbing at the same time as a spike of intense pleasure mixed with intense emotion burst through her and over her. 

She dropped to the mattress her face buried against the blankets with a cry. “Joker!! Joker!!” Her muffled yell was followed by a long moan that came from deep in her chest. She arched her back again, pressing her rear up against him. 

Joker followed her, hearing her call out his name with such abandon while on the tide of an intense orgasm was more than he could bear. She felt too good, as if she surrounded him completely. 

He felt overwhelmed by her, consumed by Harley, and he had never been happier. He hadn’t realized what he had been missing by not having someone in his life. He had never needed anyone before, but now that Harley was in his life, part of him, he couldn’t be without her. Joker felt whole. 

Joker gripped her hips with both his hands, his body going tight, every muscle tense before he came with a growling cry that he struggled to keep low. He thrust into her flesh, smacking against Harley while she writhed with pleasure, her cries muffled by the bed while Joker rode his own orgasm like he was riding lightning until he felt weak. 

He slowed down; each movement felt like too much effort, and his damn legs didn’t want to hold him up. Everything felt like too much, his nerves alive like never before, and the intense ecstasy of being with her pulled his breath from him. He realized that up until this moment he had never felt any...anything at all. Harley made that dull sense of nothingness burst away, he could feel with her, really feel. 

Joker shuddered and finally stopped with a soft moan. 

“Harley…” He took a deep breath and sighed with a smile. 

He pulled out slowly, shuddered at the feel of still moving against her, and dropped down beside her onto his back. 

Harleen crawled up and flopped down beside him, her head on his shoulder. “I’m not going to be able to walk at this rate,” she murmured. 

“You don’t need to walk. Walking is overrated, you just need to lay naked in a bed.” Joker chuckled, but Harleen lightly smacked him on the chst. 

“I’m not going to be the little woman who waits at home. I’m going where you go,” Harleen said with a stubborn edge to her voice. 

Joker pulled her a little closer. “All right, side by side?” 

She nodded. “Equals.” 

“Equals,” Joker whispered in agreement, but then asked. “Can you wait in bed naked sometimes?” 

Harley snuggled closer and Joker pulled the blankets over them, the intense chill of the room finally making itself known after their passion began to cool. 

Harley asked sleepily. “So, you’re not going to try to escape?” 

“No, not yet. Time’s not right and you aren’t quiet ready to leave it all,” Joker mused his eyes growing heavy. 

“I’m not?” she asked with closed eyes. 

Joker shook his head. “Not ready to shed that outer skin you wear, but when you are, that’s when we’ll leave.” He yawned hard, then murmured. “Now go to sleep.” 

Harley wrapped her arm around his waist, her leg coming up to wrap around his thigh. Joker smiled broadly, fatigue suddenly taking over. 

Within moments they were both asleep. 

* 

Harleen wasn’t sure how long she had actually slept, not long she felt, maybe an hour or two, but she woke up to Joker’s hand between her legs and his lips at her throat. She giggled sleepily. 

“Are you up? What time is it?” The building sounded quite, really quiet this time. 

Joker sucked on her ear lobe. “Sorry sweets, I just woke up with a need. Not sure of the time, the candles burned out, but I lit a couple of new ones. The sun isn’t up and neither is anyone else.” 

His voice rustled her hair. “Never woke with needs before…” Joker said this with a hint of curiosity in his tone. 

Harley found that she was horny too, an immediate aching need in the pit of her belly which was made all the worse because she knew she could satisfy it... 

But she wanted to try a different position, show she could be in charge. Harley pushed Joker off of her, shoving him onto his back, causing him to laugh (she knew if he didn't want to move he wouldn’t be moved, which made her smile as he let her dominate him.) 

Straddling him once he was on his back, Harleen smiled and traced his lips with her finger. “You are so handsome.” 

He smirked at her and reaching up to brush his fingers through her hair, now fully dry and a riot of blonde curls with the messy bed look that he found attractive on her. 

“You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen,” he said, reaching up to drag his finger along her bottom lip. “I was never interested in anyone, in sex and all that jazz, but you...you made me want you.” His voice was a warm whisper. “I love how you drive me crazy…” 

Harleen smiled, blushing, but before Joker could move--he had been thinking about rolling her onto her back--she slid down on his erection. He cried out low and deep, feeling his girl wrapped around him. Feeling her, being inside her felt incredible. Harley was warm and so wet; he fit perfectly inside her. A shudder rolled through him, starting down deep and crawling through his body. 

“Uh, Harley.” Joker grasped her hips, holding her down on him. He didn't want her to move, not only because of how incredible she felt, but because he needed a moment to compose himself. 

Harleen ground down on Joker, her body humming with need. 

The feel of him pushing past her barriers, piercing herself with him was both liberating and intoxicating. She sat up, arching her back as he filled her with his massive size; feeling him so deep inside her, touching parts of her she didn't know she had, made Harleen shudder. She pressed her hands against his chest and ground herself down on him, needing to feel more. 

Joker grunted, gazing at her, the candlelight dancing off her golden hair, her nipples tight and pink. She looked like a goddess on top of him, taking what she wanted. His gaze traced down her stomach, down further to see her swollen clitoris, glistening like a pink jewel in the flickering candlelight, visible as she rocked forward and then hidden as she ground back. He pressed his lips together as he struggled for a few moments, but Harley kept grinding down on him, arching her back, exposing herself, and with a slight bounce to her breasts when she moved… 

God! He could see himself inside her each time she arched, exposing a small section of his erection, wet, glistening with her fluids and buried inside her. 

He growled and reached up with both hands to grasp her full breasts in his hands. Harley moaned loudly as he dragged his thumbs over her nipples. She whimpered, the sound so sweet and desperate in his ears. He dropped one hand to her clitoris, pressed his thumb against her. Harley jerked and gasped, which made him smile even though it was a struggle for him not to give in. He pinched her nipple lightly and continued to stroke her clitoris with his thumb. He held himself back, struggling against her animalistic thrusts and grunts. He was so hard and Harley felt so, so good, so wet, sliding up and down on him.. 

Joker’s groan of pleasure was low and agonizing... 

Harleen groaned louder still when Joker touched her; every part of her tingled with sensitivity. When he pinched her nipple, the tickle... 

Tickle wasn’t the right word, but she couldn’t think of another. The tickle started at her nipples, but shot straight to her groin where it curled and teased until she screamed reaching up to cover her mouth to stop the sound from escaping. 

The moment Harley came atop him, Joker groaned loudly biting down on the sound as he yanked her down to cover her mouth, both of them sharing and swallowing their exclamations of shared passion. 

This time when Harleen collapsed beside him, neither of them said a word. They simply curled up into a tangle of limbs and fell into a shared deep sleep. 

* 

When Harleen woke again there was definitely a change in the air. It had to be morning though she felt that it was still early. For a moment she panicked, but as she came more fully awake she felt Joker’s body behind her, curled up against hers, his hand on her hip. She could tell by his breathing that he was sleeping deeply. She hated to wake him up, but… 

She rolled over slowly. 

Joker moaned, muttering in his sleep, but settled back down, easing into the comfort of dreams. Harleen sighed, softly pushing herself up on her elbow to watch him sleep. She brushed some of his hair from his forehead. She was in love with him, damn it. In love… 

She caressed his jaw line, then brushed her fingers across his lips wondering if he would be ready to hear her say that she loved him. She decided against it. Not yet. 

With a sigh she kissed the side of his mouth. “Puddin…” 

She kissed him again. “You need to get up, I don't’ want anyone to catch you.” 

Joker’s eyes fluttered open. He looked confused for a split second, his body going tense before relaxing again. 

“Harley,” he said her name sweetly. 

“You need to go back to your room before you’re caught,” Harleen whispered. “Please.” 

Joker yawned, stretching his arms over his head. “I suppose you're right, but you know, I don’t recall ever sleeping this well. Thank you Dr. Quinzel, this new therapy works wonders!” 

Harleen slapped him playfully on the chest. 

“Stop it.” 

Joker laughed. “Fine, I’ll go...but I’ll be back tonight.” 

Harley blushed and nodded. “All right, just please be careful.” 

“For you, I’ll be extra special careful.” Joker hopped out of the bed after kissing her and started to dress, the cold seeming not to bother him at all. 

“See you this afternoon sweets.” Joker purred, grinning at the image of Harley, naked, her hair rumpled as she lay in bed. Now he had a lot of images to get through the times he wasn’t with her, images worth lingering over and reliving when he couldn’t be with her... 

He winked as he made his way to the door. "And I'll be back here tonight." 

Harleen wanted to protest that he should be careful, he shouldn't come again but she said nothing, instead she smiled, blushing. 

He opened the door a crack, looked both ways before he blew her a kiss and slipped out. 

Harleen had crossed all the lines now, she was never going back.


	16. Angels in the Snow

The smell and taste of his skin, the sound of his panting breath, the feel of his body, his smile, all these aspects of Joker filled Harleen’s dreams. 

Harleen wasn’t aware she had fallen asleep again until there was a knock at her door startling her to consciousness. She sat up, her heart beating at a rabbit’s speed and looked around frantically, only remembering a beat later that Joker had left much earlier. She closed her eyes and put a hand to her face. God, what had she done? She had just slept with a patient! Granted, she had been fooling around with him for days now, but Joker had actually escaped his room to come to her and they had… 

But damn, the sex had been… 

“Dr. Quinzel?? Are you all right?” It took Harleen a minute to realize that it was Zach Franklin, one of the guards, who was on the other side of her door. The fact that he was alone and not yelling at her demanding entry told her Joker must have gotten back to his room without being seen. 

God, what had she done, she asked herself again. 

She took a few seconds to catch her breath before the knocking started again. “Dr. Quinzel?? Sorry, it’s Zach. Ah, I just noticed it was getting close to time that you were usually up, but with the electricity out I figured your alarm was out too, if you have one of those electric ones…” Zach’s voice broke through and Harleen answered. 

“Oh yes, thank you! I’m up!” 

She shivered. Her room was cold. She pulled the sheets up over her naked breasts, though it did little since her shoulders and back were exposed to the cold. 

“Okay good. They are serving breakfast in the main cafeteria by the way. Not sure how they managed it, but they got some hot coffee there and oatmeal. You want me to wait for you and walk you over?” Zach asked before adding. “It snowed some more last night, so it’s pretty bad out there. They cleaned up some of the paths, but it's slick as hell.” 

Harleen wanted to tell him no, she could walk herself over, but thought better of it. “Ah, sure, just give me a few minutes to dress.” 

“Sure thing doctor. I’ll be downstairs in the cafetera here,” Zach called before she heard his footsteps retreating. 

Letting out a breath Harleen flopped back against her bed when she heard Zach retreat. What was he doing waiting for her anyway? She supposed he could just be nice, but his gentlemanly concern grated on her nerves, or was she irritated by the fact that she had spent an incredible night losing herself in the arms of a psychopathic clown? 

God, what was she doing?? She asked herself again as she finally threw the sheets aside and hurried across her freezing room, naked, looking for something warm to wear. 

* 

Joker lay in his cell on his back, his hands behind his head with a smile across his lips. 

He hadn’t gone back to sleep when he slipped back into his cell, but instead he had let his mind drift with thoughts of Harley. The sounds of her excited breathing, the feel of her skin, the taste of her on his tongue. He growled softly as images of her smile, her blue eyes glowing with passion, the feel of her in his arms and against his skin drifted through his mind. Along with the images of Harley, other thoughts wormed into his head like worms through soil. Twisting and writhing thoughts, burrowing through his brain… 

Could he leave her behind when he left Arkham? 

A voice inside him told him he should leave her here, maybe even kill her. He tried to tell himself that getting mixed up with the doctor had been one of the stupidest things he had ever done. That she was just going to be a burden, that he didn’t need her, that he worked alone...but he knew those thoughts were lies. 

His mind was filled with thoughts of her: her laugh, her smile, those eyes, those hips, her breasts... 

Touching her...and her touching him… 

Joker frowned as the memory of Harley’s touch vibrated through him. The way she had given herself to him, held on to him, unafraid, beautiful and daring… 

He realized he didn’t want to possess her, it wasn’t the same as a favored knife or gun. No, this was different. His chest hurt when he thought about leaving her here, and he ached if he thought about not having her. It was as if Harley had possession over part of him. He thought he should be angry about that, but he wasn’t, he wanted her to have part of him, just as he wanted to have part of her. 

He did need her. 

He wanted her. 

No existential angst there, just good old fashioned desire and something...else. 

And he didn’t want to work alone, not anymore. The idea of Harley Quinn, his partner in crime, in everything had a ring to it that he enjoyed. And he couldn't help but think about how much it would irritate the Bat to know he, the Joker, had someone that loved him, an equal partner by his side, a woman who knew what he was and wanted to be with him regardless of the monster he was--or that people kept saying he was--while all Batman had was little boys at his side. 

Harley was now so twisted up with him he didn’t want to leave her behind. He couldn’t leave her… 

He wouldn’t leave without her. 

Maybe he was in love? 

How novel! 

Joker closed his eyes with a grin and let himself drift off to sleep. 

* 

Harleen knew it was probably stupid, but she had worn a dress, a dark camel colored sweater dress with a turtleneck collar and long sleeves, though the dress itself was nearly unprofessionally short, hovering at her midthigh. She paired the dress with her favorite pair of kneehigh boots, knowing Joker would like her to wear a dress, knowing he liked to be able to touch her legs, and maybe she was thinking a dress gave him easy access to her. She tried not to let herself dwell on those thoughts as she brushed her hair out, leaving it loose with only a couple of barrets holding back some of golden locks from her face. Within moments though, her thoughts drifting to Joker’s hands in her hair… 

She shivered as she pulled her winter coat over her doctor’s jacket and headed down to the cafeteria. 

* 

There were only a few people in the cafeteria on the ground floor of Harleen’s building. All of them were milling about, talking, everyone in their coats, and all of them looking a little lost. It was freezing inside; she could see the puffs of everyone’s breath including her own. Harleen could only imagine what it felt like outside. 

She saw Zach sitting at one of the tables, wearing a brown ski jacket with rainbow striping across the breast, his hands buried deep in the pockets and a pair of black earmuffs over his ears. 

When he saw her come into the cafeteria, Zach’s face lit up. 

Harleen felt something hard in the pit of her stomach. She didn't know what it was, but the way Zach looked at her made her slightly nauseous and maybe a little bit angry. After Dr. Vane’s attitude, the last thing she wanted was another guy after her. Or maybe, she asked herself, it was because she had already chosen the man she wanted to be with? 

Harleen frowned at her inner thoughts, pushing them and the dark feelings down and instead plastered a smile on her face as she walked over to him. 

“Morning,” she said, shoving her own hands into the pockets of her coat. 

Zach stood, all smiles. “Morning Dr. Quinzel! You ready?” 

Harleen nodded with a smirk. “As I’ll ever be.” 

Zach laughed and put his elbow out to her. “You might want to hold on to me, it’s super slick out there.” 

Harleen kept her expression neutral as she took his arm and let the young man lead her out into the snow. 

* 

Harleen had to admit, Zach had been correct. 

It had snowed even more during the night (which made her wonder how Joker had gotten to her room and back without a coat and wearing only slippers?!) and the narrow path that had been dug out was slick. The two of them began walking slowly down the path that had been dug through the heavy snow. Even now, it was still snowing--though only light flakes--but the sky had that completely white and grey cloud cover that promised more snow. 

Harleen shivered. “I hope they get the generators working or we’ll all be ice cubes before anyone comes to check on us.” 

Zach laughed. “You’re funny Dr. Quinzel. I heard that Dr. Strange has a couple of guys looking at the generators. Apparently one of the maintenance guys was still here when the first snow hit. I heard he was seeing one of the nurses and stayed over…” He blushed before continuing. “Anyway, Cash apparently has some electrical training too, so the doctor has them down in the basement trying to get the generator or the backup working.” 

Harleen nodded looking down to watch her footing when something hit her in the side of the head. The shock of painful cold and ice made her gasp loudly as cold snow and ice dripped down her face and soaked into the top of her turtleneck. She turned to look and saw Dr. Vane just a little ways ahead of her and Zach standing in a curve in the path where it divided toward Arkham’s other buildings. 

Dr. Vane grinned at her with a vicious schoolboy sneer. “You do move fast. New boyfriend already Dr. Quinzel?” He said her name like it was a dirty word. 

There were a few other nurses and doctors on the paths, not many, but those that were outside stopped when they heard Dr. Vane yelling at Harleen. 

“You chauvinistic asshole!” Harleen yelled back. 

Zach started to say something to her, but Harleen didn’t hear it. Suddenly revenge was the only thing on her mind. She yanked her arm away from Zach and headed toward the snowbank next to her, ready to make a huge snowball. She couldn’t believe that asshole had been so...so...childish as to throw a snowball at her! They were doctors, not children! But that didn’t mean she was going to take being hit with a snowball and not retaliate. He wanted to act like a schoolyard bully, well she would show him that Harleen Quinzel had been dealing with schoolyard bullies for a long damn time. 

She lunged for the snow bank next to her, except her boots were not made for the snow and Zach’s warning hadn’t been just an effort to have her hold on to his arm. The path was icy and as soon as she lunged, Harleen’s feet went out from under her, and she plunged face first into the snowbank. 

She fell in ,but instead of just hitting snow, Harleen hit something hard. She cried out, Zach grabbing for her and pulling her out. Snow fell away from whatever it was that Harleen hit as she was pulled to her feet, her nose slightly bloody and her face stinging from the cold only to have her gasp in shock, not from the pain, but from the body that the falling snow revealed. 

* 

The victim was determined to be Abby, one of the patients. Abby had been admitted to Arkham by her family because they had believed she was possessed by a demon. Abby had, in fact, been diagnosed as schizophrenic. She had been a long term resident of Arkham--until now. 

No one had realized Abby wasn’t in her room last night. No one had seen her after the first bed check after the power had gone out. Either no one had done the usual rounds last night or someone had made it look like Abby was still in her room. 

Either way, Harleen thought, there were a lot of hours that were unaccounted for, which made her think of Joker’s ability to escape his room, make his way to her room, spend several hours with her, and make it back to his room without being caught. Joker was a smart man, but that also demonstrated how no one had been watching any of the patients last night, though Harleen was not going to say anything about Joker. 

She, along with the other doctors, all sat in the cold meeting room. Harleen held a cup of lukewarm coffee in her hands, the image of the body she had fallen into seared into her mind. Abby had been frozen solid, though it wasn’t clear yet if that had been what killed her or what had been done to her to be the cause of death. Still, the gruesome image lingered in Harleen’s mind and might never go away, she realized with an unsteady breath. 

Someone had positioned Abby on her knees, her hands held together in prayer, but her back had been sliced open, the skin spread out like angel wings behind her to form a frozen snow angel. No one knew exactly how Abby’s position had been achieved, but it was clear whoever the killer was, they had the skills of a surgeon along with a surgeon’s patience. It was also clear by the lack of blood at the site, that Abby had been killed somewhere else, then brought out there and frozen into her position. 

Strange had guards and orderlies searching the asylum for any signs of the murder, but Harleen didn’t think they were going to find any evidence. 

Harleen shivered, wondering for a split second if the killer could actually be Joker. He had been able to easily get out of his room, he had the skills, or at least according to his files he did, skilled with the use of a knife...but… 

In her heart, Harleen felt certain it wasn’t Joker, and not just because he had spent the biggest part of the night in her bed. The murder just didn’t seem to fit his M.O. If Joker killed someone, he had no problem making sure everyone knew it was him. He took pride in his work. 

No, Harleen thought, this killer was someone else. There had been rumors of missing patients and staff for a while at the asylum. She remembered hearing the rumors, but she hadn’t really given it much thought. Even when there was the rumor about a body being found, her mind had been focused on other things. Whoever this killer was, if they had been snagging people at the asylum for months, maybe years, killing in secret, why were they now leaving bodies to be found? 

Harleen shook her head to clear her thoughts as she sipped her lukewarm coffee. 

Alyce was sitting next to Harleen and whispered. “So, do you think this killer is a man or a woman?” 

Harleen frowned glancing over at Alyce, her braided hair wrapped in red ribbon as usual. “What?” 

“Man or woman? It’s thought that men usually kill more violently than women. So, do you think this murderer is a man?” Alyce asked with a smile. 

Harleen frowned in thought before she answered, ignoring the talk of the other doctors around them. “Well, granted, there hasn’t been any research done on this, I mean the difference between female serial killers and male serial killers that is, but female killers tend to kill acquaintances, people who surround them and they tend to like to use less violent methods like poison. Though we don’t know how Abby died--she could have died from poison.” Harleen shrugged. “Women killers are often caregivers, they take care of their victims, and they usually are well-educated,” Harleen said while slowly turning her coffee cup in her hands. “Women gather their victims around them while male killers like to hunt their victims, tend to follow their victims from place to place, going from town to town. They tend to kill strangers too, while women tend to kill people they know...”

Harleen looked over at Alyce. “From what I’ve read about male serial killers is that male killers like to wait for the perfect time to attack, like a predator hunting for their prey. You know, like a wolf hunting a deer. They also tend to butcher their victims and keep trophies from their kills...But...” 

Harleen said softly glancing around at their colleagues who seemed to be arguing about something. 

“I think a woman can be just as violent as a man and she can butcher like a man. I think. So do I think this killer is a man? Not necessarily,” Harleen said. 

Alyce smiled at her, clearly pleased with Harleen’s answer. Alyce was about to respond when she was cut off by Dr. Huntoon yelling loudly. 

“So, you’re not going to do anything?” Dr. Huntoon snapped viciously standing up from his seat 

Both women turned to look at Huntoon and then to Strange who was glaring at the younger man. 

Huntoon glared right back at Strange as he spoke. “You can’t hide this body like you did the last one, you can’t claim it’s a rumor this time!” He glanced at Harleen with disgust before he continued. “How many more bodies have there been that we’ve haven’t been told about?!” Huntoon shouted at Dr. Strange, slamming his fist on the table while Dr. Arkham winced, his attention on his own cup of lukewarm darkness. 

Strange glared at Huntoon, his voice calm, but stern as he spoke. “Raise your voice to me one more time Dr. Huntoon, you’ll be out of a job, and if you think any place else is going to hire you after here, then you sorely misunderstand the length and breadth of my influence in Gotham and beyond. Now sit down and shut up.” 

Harleen pressed her lips together on a grin. Despite the circumstances, she couldn’t help but enjoy Huntoon getting his ass handed to him. 

Huntoon continued to glare, but he shut up and sat down. 

Strange cleared his throat. “From now on, I want all staff to walk in pairs after dark. I have the guards and the orderlies that we have on duty searching the asylum, but we still cannot leave the island and we cannot call out for help either. We will make sure that all the patients are locked in their rooms after dark, as usual, but there will be more frequent bed checks. I would advise all of you to be in your rooms and not to leave your rooms or open your doors after dark. We will find who did this.” 

Huntoon started to stand, his face turning red, ready to say something else, but Strange silenced him with a glare. “Now, we don’t want to alarm anymore of the staff who are stranded here with us than we need to. Only a few of them saw Dr. Quinzel discover the body. The rest will only think it’s a rumor, a story, and you are to keep it that way. We certainly do not want to rile the patients, especially the more violent ones.” Dr. Strange glanced at Harleen. “I expect everyone to continue with business as usual. We are to pretend that nothing is wrong. There was no body found, the power outage is a hiccup and we are not stranded. Is that understood?” Strange looked at each and every one of them. “We are doctors, we are here to help, and right now these patients need us even more. This killer, most likely a patient, will be caught. Now, I want you all to carry on as you usually would. Understood?” 

Everyone muttered agreement before getting up and leaving the room. 

Alyce walked along beside Harleen after they had left the meeting. “Well, this will be fun, don’t you think?” 

“Fun?” Harleen asked, quirking a brow at her. 

Alyce smiled. “Yes, watching the staff trying to act like nothing's wrong while everything is wrong.” She shrugged and patted Harleen on the shoulder. “Well, stay safe.” 

Harleen frowned slightly, then nodded. “You too.” 

She had just started to turn and go to her office when Dr. Crane reached out and gently tapped her shoulder. “Dr. Quinzel--might I have a word?” 

Harleen stopped, smiling at the tall, skinny doctor. “Of course Dr. Crane. How can I help?” 

“Well, I was going to ask you about this yesterday evening, but with the power going out and all I never got a chance. And since Dr.Strange wants us to continue as if nothing has changed, I thought that perhaps…” He rubbed his lips together. “I’m conducting a group meeting of several patients. The goal is to have them discuss their fear, what really makes them afraid. I thought, since you seem to be doing such good work with the Joker...I mean to say this is the longest he’s been in Arkham without an incident and he has behaved himself with Dr. Andrade’s music therapy, so I thought...would you mind bringing him this morning to my group session?” 

Harleen’s brow creased in thought for a moment, but then she smiled. Her morning was supposed to be having one-on-one sessions with a couple of other patients, including Vicki Vale, and the last thing Harleen felt like listening to was Vale’s continued pleas to speak privately with Joker. 

“Sure, I think that will be good for him,” Harleen said with a smile. “I’ll just arrange to have him brought to…” She tilted her head and Crane smiled warmly. 

“Actually I'll be having my meeting somewhere new, just head to the old Arkham manor. I’ll be starting in the next half hour--is that enough time to have him ready?” 

Harleen nodded. “Plenty. See you there.” 

* 

She thought about stopping by her office first, but changed her mind and headed to Joker’s cell instead. 

The halls were deserted, but she figured it really didn’t matter what Strange wanted. They really didn’t have the staff right now with the snow to keep all the halls guarded. She couldn’t decide if she was frightened or not by the thought of a killer stalking the halls of Arkham. Maybe it was because she believed herself protected, that Joker would protect her. 

Maybe she was just being foolish, she thought with a frown. 

As she turned and headed down the hall that led to Joker’s cell, she heard his strong, seductive voice loud and clear echoing down the hall. He was singing. 

“I've got so much honey the bees envy me 

I've got a sweeter song than the birds in the trees 

Well I guess you'd say 

What can make me feel this way? 

My girl, my girl, my girl 

Talkin' 'bout my girl, my girl ooh…” 

* 

Blushing, Harleen remembered what he had said about smelling her, hearing her walk, knowing it was her. When she arrived at his door, looking in through the small window, she saw that he was lying on his back, hands behind his head, shirtless despite the cold that made his breath clearly visible. He grinned at her, his blue eyes twinkling as he sang. 

“I don't need no money, fortune, or fame 

I've got all the riches baby one man can claim 

I guess you'd say 

What can make me feel this way? 

My girl, my girl, my girl 

Talkin' 'bout my…girl…” 

* 

Her cheeks red, Harleen looked both ways before she unlocked his door and slipped into the room. She had turned around to shut the door and had just turned back around when she let out a startled yelp. 

Joker was standing right in front her, only a few inches away. 

He smiled at her and whispered. “My girl…” 

He caught her by her throat, one hand cupping the side of her neck, his fingers firm, his other hand grasped her waist and yanked her against him as he kissed her. 

Groaning softly, Harleen responded by wrapping her arms around his shoulders, rising up on her toes as she returned his kiss, a slow, passion-filled kiss that made her feel weak in the knees and wet between her legs. 

Joker’s fingers slid into her hair, grabbing a handful of her thick blonde hair at the back of her head, pulling her head back as his lips trailed down from her mouth to skate across her throat. His tongue slid along her throat down to the edge of her turtleneck, evoking goosebumps to raise on her skin. His hand at her waist slid down over her hip until his fingers brushed against the bare skin of her thigh. He pulled her dress up, his hand gliding along her soft skin with a growl. 

Harleen held onto his shoulders, her fingers pressing into his pale skin. When his mouth returned to hers, Harleen growled back at him, her hands sliding down his chest, kissing him harder until she shoved him back. 

Joker stumbled back, looking surprised, then grinned as Harleen shoved him back again, slamming her hands against his chest until the back of his legs hit his cot and he flopped down, lyng back on his cot with a widening smile. Harleen climbed on top of him, straddling his hips as she grabbed his hair in her hands, holding his head down while she kissed him with vigor. Her tongue pushed and slid into his mouth, twisting against his tongue in a dance that made Joker groan. She pressed herself down on his hardening erection, feeling him thrust upward between her legs, pressing into her heat. 

He wrapped his arms around her, under her doctors jacket, hands sliding down the curve of her spine to her rear. He squeezed her rear, feeling her pressing against him, grinding against his erection, her dress riding up to expose her soft skin. He growled against her lips, pulling her dress up to run his hands along her rear, and slid his fingers under her panties. He wanted her, wanted to yank her panties off and fuck her, fuck her hard and fast. He wanted to feel her closer, wanted to be surrounded by her. Joker wanted all of her. 

Harleen shuddered in response to his kiss, to his touch, even as every sane part of her told herself to stop, she couldn’t. She wasn't sure what had come over her, but when he kissed her, she caught fire. She wanted more, wanted all of him. All thoughts of her job, their situation, flew right out of her mind as her need overcame her. She kissed him harder, bit his bottom lip, sucked on his tongue, grinding against him in a desperate attempt to be closer to him. 

She gasped when she found that perfect spot and ground harder, arching her back. She sat up, her hands pressed against his pale chest, pressing herself down on him, rubbing her clitoris against him. Even through the layers of fabric between them, Joker sent ripples through her. She gasped, digging her fingernails into his chest. 

Joker groaned, biting his bottom lip, holding onto her hips as she thrust against him, grinding down on his bound erection, her dress having slid up to her waist. He panted while watching her, feeling her. She looked beautiful, her glasses slightly crooked, her hair a mess from his hands, her mouth open, lips wet... 

He arched his head back into the thin mattress, struggling for a moment. He sucked on his bottom lip. She felt so good, the way she was pressing against him was driving him crazy. Joker struggled to stop himself from going over the edge while Harley brought herself to climax dry humping him. 

She stiffened, her thighs tightening their hold on him before she dropped down to kiss him, climaxing with a strangled cry that he swallowed, his tongue in her mouth. 

He had never been used before and he found that with her, he didn’t mind at all. Harley could use him all she wanted. 

He grinned as Harley collapsed against him. 

“Miss me?” he asked, amused, holding her close. 

Harleen groaned softly, her head nestled against his chest. “What are you doing to me?” 

“The same thing you’re doing to me sweets,” he whispered. “You’re driving me crazy…” He kissed her forehead. “I’m going to have my way with you later tonight,” he purred, stroking her hair. 

Harleen sighed softly before pushing herself up and getting off of him, pulling her dress down and running her fingers through her hair. 

“Well,” she said with a crooked smile. “I actually came to get you because Dr. Crane requested I bring you to a session he’s conducting. He wants patients to talk about what frightens them.” 

Joker reached down to adjust his swollen member before sitting up. “Oh, that sounds fun.” 

Harleen smiled a little, then said softly. “I found a body this morning.” 

Joker’s smile faded. “What?” 

“Abby, one of the patients here. Someone killed her and posed her out in the snow like a praying angel with her back sliced open and the flesh used to make wings. She was frozen solid.” 

Harleen frowned, rubbed her finger across her mouth before pushing her glasses up as she gazed at him. 

Joker tilted his head at her. “You want to ask me if it was me, but you don’t really believe it is do you?” 

Harleen stared at him for a moment before she nodded, then whispered. “I know it’s not you. It’s that killer you said was here, isn’t it?” 

Joker smiled at her leaning back against the wall, his legs over the side of his cot. His erection still felt uncomfortable, but he was able to ignore it. “To answer the question you already answered for yourself is no, it wasn’t me. And yes, I think it’s the killer I mentioned. But…” 

“But?” Harleen asked glancing over at the door before she sat down on the cot next to him. 

Joker reached out and played with the ends of her hair. “But, this is new, making a display, making art. They were content to kill without anyone noticing, but that’s a pretty big statement of “See Me!” I would say.” 

“There was another body, supposedly, that was posed too, but none of us saw it and Strange denied it. This one though...” She shook her head, her voice a whisper. “I fell into the snowbank right on top of her.” 

“Are you all right?” Joker asked, surprising himself with his concern. 

Harleen nodded. “Yes.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, glancing down at his crotch before she asked. “Think you’ll be ready in a few minutes?” 

Joker grinned as he played with her hair, stroking some of it behind her ear. “I’ll be fine sweets--until tonight,” he purred softly. “Then we’ll satisfy both of us.” 

He cupped the back of her head, tugging her close to kiss her again, a slower, more passionate kiss. Harleen felt his kiss to the tips of her toes, igniting the fire in her belly once more. 

Harleen made a soft sound of pleasure, one hand resting on his thigh, her other hand reaching up to stroke his jaw as she returned his kiss with just as much passion. 

She pulled away with a sigh, resting her forehead against his as she spoke. “I’ll be back in a few minutes with the guards.” 

Joker rubbed his nose against hers. “Looking forward to it. I always thought Crane was an interesting doctor, though not nearly as interesting as you.” 

Harleen blushed before she reluctantly stood up and left him. 

Joker closed his eyes and dropped back against the wall with a groan. 

* 

The halls remained mostly deserted, Harleen only running into one orderly and Dr. Cavendish on her way to her office. She had stopped by the guard station, arranging to have one guard with her to escort Joker. They didn't have enough available guards to give her two and with Cash not being there--instead helping with the generators--the veteran guard wasn’t there to insist on two. 

Harleen shivered as she walked thinking that maybe it was time to put her winter coat back on and just wear it throughout the day when she stepped into her office and stopped short. 

Lying in the middle of her desk sat a plain, white envelope. 

“Damn it,” she muttered under her breath, stepping out of her office to look down the hall both ways, but there was no one. She stepped back inside her office and closed the door. With everything going on she had forgotten all about the letter she had received, the blackmail letter. She hadn’t even told Joker about it. 

She didn’t have a lot of time before the guard came to escort her to pick up Joker and head to Crane’s group session, but she pulled the letter out of the envelope and quickly read the contents. 

“Still here doctor.” 

Harleen stared at the note in her hand, her blood going cold for a moment before she felt a white hot rage. She crumpled the letter up and threw the wadded up paper across her office with a snarl. 

She didn’t need this shit along with everything else, she thought viciously. For a tense moment all Harleen could think about was finding this person and taking care of her problem the way Joker would--permanently. She let the joy of imagining herself choking the life out of the blackmailer flow through her, but then immediately stopped herself with an audible gasp. 

What was she doing? 

Harleen put a hand to her throat and could feel her pulse throbbing against her fingers. 

It wasn’t like her to think like that...was it? 

That was when there was a loud knock at her door that caused Harleen to jump a foot and spin around. “Dr. Quinzel, it’s me Paul, here to help you escort Joker…” 

“Yes, yes…” Harleen took a deep breath before she opened the door and stepped out leaving the note in a crumpled ball in the corner of her office. 

* 

Joker walked beside Harleen in his straight jacket, a big smile on his face, his slippers flopping against the floor, and humming under his breath. He was humming “My Girl” again causing Harley to blush as she walked beside him holding her files to her chest. 

The session Dr. Crane was having to discuss patients' fears was not being held in the main Arkham Asylum building, which was unusual. Instead he had moved the meetings--with Dr. Arkham’s approval--to the old Arkham Manor house that was still on the property. The house was still in use, mostly to provide rooms for overnight guests on the island, or to hold meetings with investors or parties to draw funding. 

Harleen didn’t know what she was expecting, but when Paul opened the door for her and she stepped in, Harleen gasped. 

The house was furnished and kept in the style in which the house had been born. Built in 1843 by one of the Arkhams (Harleen wasn’t sure which) for his wife. The interior of the home looked to have the original furnishings with a sweeping walnut staircase, the painted walls a salmon color and decorated from ceiling to floor with paintings and antique mirrors with a lovely chandelier hanging in the center of the entry hall. 

As soon as they entered Harleen heard Crane’s voice. “In here!” 

The three of them turned and headed into what could only be the library. The room contained a green marble fireplace that was burning merrily and keeping the room a nice, cozy temperature. 

The walls were covered with several shelves filled from ceiling to floor with books. The furniture was all dark, heavy, and carved walnut with a dark red and gold Persian carpet on the floor covering the polished hardwood. 

Crane had brought in an eclectic collection of chairs that he had arranged in a circle. Already here were Jervis Tetch, Roman Sionis, Vickie Vale, Buddy Standier, and Danzig, with Joker making six. 

Vickie waved at Harleen and Joker, though her eyes were on Joker. Harleen watched with disgust as Vickie attempted to flirt with her eyes at him, batting her eyelashes and smiling coyly. 

Joker ignored her. 

Harleen wanted to put her ink pen in Vicki’s eyes. 

She saw one other guard, two orderlies and one nurse. Not enough for a group like this, Harleen thought while pursing her lips. 

Crane motioned to two of the empty seats. “Please sit. I thought it might be best if you sat with your patient.” 

Harleen nodded and gently put her hand on Joker’s back, guiding him over to one of the empty seats. Joker sat with a giggle. “This is great! I love this group type session! I very rarely get to participate!” 

Harleen took the seat next to him as Crane smiled. “Happy to have you here Joker.” 

Joker smiled brightly at Crane. “Happy to be here Doc!” 

Paul came over and knelt down to cuff Joker’s ankles to the chair. Harleen noticed that Sionis was cuffed, as was Tetch, but no one else. Crane had an odd assortment of patients, but Harleeen broke it down to the violent and the non-violent. 

“All right…” Crane rubbed his hands together as he walked over and picked something up that Harleen couldn’t see until he had set what looked like a gas canister with a nozzle and valve that allowed a small amount of gas to be released at a time. 

Frowning, Harley glanced at the canister then back at Crane while joker whispered next to her. “Oh, this really is going to be interesting.” 

Crane smiled. “This canister contains something I’ve been working on during my free time, something new and revolutionary.” He patted the container with the delicacy and attention of a lover. 

“Just a little bit of this gas will open you up to those fears that you keep hidden deep inside, fears that you don’t even acknowledge you have that are holding each of you back from real recovery.” 

Joker laughed and giggled in his straightjacket. “This is going to be rich!” 

Crane ignored him and continued. “With this gas I’ve invented, I will force you--a little bit at a time--to face your fears. At the end of each of these sessions, you should feel a cleansing as you confront and defeat whatever fear is holding you back from true recovery.” 

Harleen frowned. “Dr. Crane, I’ve never heard of this gas…” 

He smiled triumphantly at her. “It’s something I’ve been working on for a while now.” 

“Is it dangerous?” Harleen asked, but Crane shrugged. 

“All new things are dangerous until they have been more fully tested, but I’ve figured out just the right amount to allow the patient to feel the fear and not be consumed by it.” 

Harleen still didn't look convinced as Crane reached over and began to release the vale. It didn’t take a genius to conclude that different people needed different dosages of medicines and side effects of untested pharmaceuticals was always a concern. “Wait, what about me and the others??” Harleen looked pointedly at the guards and orderlies, but it was too late as a thick greenish-yellow gas began to crawl from the container. 

Harleen gasped, getting to her feet. “Crane--stop!” 

Jervis, who was sitting next to Crane just to his right, and next to the canister, watched the greenish-yellow gas with wide eyes that went from shocked to near hysterical as he yelled. 

“IT’S THE CATERPILLAR!! HE’S GOING TO MAKE US TOO BIG FOR THE HOUSE!!” 

Jervis started to thrash around in a panic. 

Crane stood. “Now, now…it’s just a small amount of gas...” But just as he stood up, Jervis’s thrashing foot bumped the canister. Even with his foot cuffed, it was enough to knock the gas canister over. The canister landed on its side and rolled into the middle of the room. When the canister hit the floor, the valve snapped and greenish-yellow gas poured from the canister in a thick, heavy cloud--upward and over everyone in the room. 

Joker’s voice was low and sinister as he hissed, his features covered by the gas. 

“Oh, this is not going to be good.”


	17. Nightmares

The sensation of the room spinning made Harleen feel dizzy even with her eyes closed. It felt as if she were wobbling while staying still, the entire world tilting back and forth. She was lying on her back with her eyes closed and the other confusing thing was she couldn’t remember how she had ended up on the floor. Her heart beat out a rapid rhythm, pounding hard as if it were trying to escape the cage of her ribs and sternum. 

The moment consciousness came back to her, fear followed. She was terrified, but she wasn’t sure of what or why… 

She thought of Joker; he was cuffed. He needed her... 

Her mind quickly pieced together what had happened. 

They were having a therapy session in the old Arkham manor, the home that started the asylum years and years ago. They were cut off from Gotham because of the snow storm, a body had been found with wings of flesh, and the power was out, no heat in the asylum. Crane had wanted Joker at his session and she had agreed, but then Crane had brought that gas… 

And then Tetch had knocked the canister over… 

Harleen’s eyes flew open and she sat up, straightening her glasses just as one of the guards screamed. He stumbled past where she lay on the floor. It was Paul, the one who had escorted her here with Joker, but as he stumbled by her--only missing tripping over her legs by inches, as Harleen quickly yanked her feet out of the way--she saw that Paul’s eyes were gone. In there place were bloody holes where thick bloody tears mixed with lumps of ocular jelly that ran down this cheeks. 

Harleen stared in horror, but what made her choke on a scream was the moment she saw the long, hairy legs of a spider beginning to crawl its way out of Paul’s empty eye sockets. Paul disappeared into the gas, wailing. She scrambled to her feet as spiders suddenly swelled from the shadows. Harleen opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. She couldn’t find the breath to scream as hundreds of a tiny spiders, all of them looking like the ones that had burst from that egg sack in the attic of her home when she was a little girl...falling on her, catching in her hair, crawling over her skin, trapped under her clothes, getting into her eyes, her nose, her mouth... 

She remembered how much she had screamed, screamed until her throat became raw, batted at herself to get them off of her, but there had been so many!! Harleen’s father had run to her aid, tried to help her, but Harleen had twisted out of his grasp in her terror, shrieking as the hundreds of legs creeped over her skin. 

She could feel them now, dozens upon dozens of tiny, hairy legs crawling over her body. Harleen couldn’t breathe... 

“Tell me what you fear….” A disembodied voice from the grave that sent a cold chill down Harleen’s spine whispered in her ears, as if drifting through the gas-filled room. The air was so thick with the gas that everything looked to be coated in a yellow green pus-like hue. 

Harleen scrambled to her feet, batting at herself for a moment, only to stop as she looked down at herself. The spiders were gone. She looked around in a panic, breaking out in a cold sweat. The gas was so thick she couldn’t see more than a foot in front of her face. The oppressive feeling caused her breathing to come in panicked glups, adding to the dizziness she already felt. Trying to remind herself that she was not a ten year old girl covered in spiders anymore, but rather a doctor, and she wasn’t in her attic at the home she grew up in, but at Arkham Asylum. She stood in a room, not lost in some vast gas-filled landscape. Harleen tried to remember where Joker had been before she blacked out…but it was so hard to think because she felt terror lurking at the edges of her thoughts, felt that something within the thick gas that surrounded her was about to pounce. Her heart beat so fast that her chest hurt and she heard a rushing sound in her ears. She couldn’t draw in a deep breath and her palms were sweaty. 

Harleen spun around and saw a shadow that flitted back and forth at the edges of her vision. 

Her terror was like a beast lurking behind her, devouring her. 

Her head spun around when she heard a hissing sound coming from behind her, followed by another hiss in front of her. Harleen started to hyperventilate as she heard more hissing coming from different directions, but now mixed with the taunting laughter of Bianca and her boyfriend Jamie, along with their goons. Goosebumps rose on her skin, she hadn’t thought about Bianca and her gang of bitches...or what they had done to her, but she was sure that was who she heard, snickering in the moving shadows mixed with the sounds of hissing. 

The old fear of being trapped, lost in darkness surrounded by the sounds of hissing and Bianca’s taunting laughter washed over her, rooting Harleen to the spot, afraid that moving would attract the shadows’ attention…attract... 

Tears started to roll down Harleen’s cheeks as the fear dug its claws in deeper. 

That night in high school, an overnight school trip that she had tried to forget, (city kids getting to see what a real working farm was like) when Bianca, Jamie, and their friends had cornered her, lured her away from the farm house...away from the prying eyes of the teachers and the other students. They had tricked her into coming with them when they sneaked out...going to the stables to see the horses where they had shoved her into an open stall...in the dark...she had fallen into the hay and dung. When Harleen had gotten up and tried to leave, they had shoved her back inside and shut the door, trapping her inside, making sure she couldn't get out...trapping her with that horse...the animal had been so much bigger than she had realized...there was an acidic smell of fear coming off the horse as it tossed its head, clearly upset...then there was the snake that she couldn’t see, but only hear...the hissing, the horse’s scared whinnying...Harleen trying to move out of it’s way, crying to be let out...the horse, scared, terrified, kicking out...breaking her shoulder, slamming her against the stall. She could hear its shrieks of terror around her...the pain, the snake, the horse, trapped…scared. She had been so scared, in so much pain... 

The sounds around her, the laughter, screams, and hissing became mixed with new sounds, but they were sounds that still haunted her nightmares whenever they reared their ugly head. 

She heard the snickering continue as the gas around her became more oppressive, the smell of sweat mixed with the shadows, which became taller, thicker, bringing back the memories of that frat party she had been talked into going to by friend, her supposed college friends, Linda and Melissa. 

She had asked them to stay with her. She felt nervous, scared, but they had ditched her the moment they were through the door. 

Gary had approached her, dragged her to an empty room against her will. He had cornered her in the room...Gary, the head of the college football team using his bigger size to block her flight. The smell of the alcohol on his breath filled the air around her as he pressed her against the wall, his body like a rock, pinning her, trapping her. She had been angry at first, but then fear had set in, fear that he would rape her, fear he would beat her. She felt helpless, unable to get away...his large hands grabbing at her...holding her...trying to force her into a kiss. 

She had kneed him in the groin and had run, but she had run off into the dark outside, alone, some of Gary’s friends yelling taunts after her, calling her names… 

She had tried to find her way back home, but she had ridden with her friends. She had been lost, scared, wandered down the wrong street trying to find a cab… 

A homeless man had attacked her, clawed her, took her purse and what little money she had, and it had taken her hours to find herself way home. 

She had been so scared… 

All those moments of fear and helplessness rose up to the surface of her consciousness, weighing her down, pressing in on all sides. 

Harleen heard more sounds that she couldn’t identify, sounds that made her spin around to see what threatened her. She whipped around one way, then another trying to lock onto the shadows that kept changing...becoming multi-limbed, monstrous...Harleen felt that cold fear in her gut as a hard knot taking root and spreading through her entire body... 

She made herself take a deep breath, focused on one thing: she needed to find Joker. 

She needed the monster, not just to protect her, but she needed to protect him, needed to get him out of here. 

Looking around the room, trying to orient herself while keeping herself from completely flipping out, Harleen saw the shadows moving closer, more and more monstrous shapes forming in front of her. Some were hunched, others were long and twisted, their shapes shifting into something amorphous, all of them barely recognizable as human shadows, flitting here and there and moving too quickly for her to follow, staying just out of her direct sight while mixed with whispering, whispered voices she knew, others she didn’t...all of them terrifying. But the voice that scared her the most was the one that she could hear clearly over the others that kept whispering from nowhere and everywhere at once. 

“Tell me your fears...” 

The panic she had been holding back just barely threatened to overwhelm her when she heard that whispering request again and again. Harleen balled her hands into fists, her nails biting into her palms until she felt the dampness of blood as she struggled not to run in a blind panic. She wanted to escape, but not without Joker. 

She would be brave for the man she loved. 

That thought that she was falling deeper in love with the murderous clown gave her the strength of will to move. 

She took a step backwards, hoping she was stepping away from the whispering voice, and bumped into something with her hip. 

When Harleen spun around, the gas cleared away enough that she saw she had bumped into Tetch. His face was covered in blood and he straddled one of the orderlies. Over his head Tetch was holding a bloody, cracked mantle clock, an antique made with hard, heavy wood. Tetch didn’t acknowledge her as he brought the clock down on the orderly’s face. 

“NO TIME!! NO TIME!! YOU’LL NEVER HAVE TIME AGAIN!!!” 

Harleen couldn’t see what the orderly looked like any more because the face was completely gone, reduced to a heap of pulped bone, flesh, brains, and blood. She sucked in a breath, her blood turning icy in shock. 

Harleen stumbled away from Tetch who still didn’t see her while he continued to beat the dead man under him. Throwing her hands out in front of her, Harleen stumbled forward. She needed to find Joker. She kept repeating her goal to herself, even as she fought to control her breathing. She needed to find a way out of this horror show. 

Her hands brushed against something wet, causing Harleen to jump back just as Roman Sionis came into view. He laughed at her as he held up a fleshy, bloody mask in front of his face and peerd at her through the eyeholes. 

“Think my father would want me with a new face?” His voice sounded pleading as he hissed. “I don’t want to disappear, I only want to hide…” He pressed the flesh mask to his face, covering himself in the gory mess. At his feet lay Danzig, one of the other patients, the skin of their face carved away. Harleen couldn’t tell if they were breathing or not. She was just about to back away from Roman, her eyes wide enough and showing white when someone grabbed her from behind and spun her around. 

It was Vickie Vale. 

Vickie’s eyes were as wide as Harleen’s and her voice was shaking. Her grip on Harleen’s shoulders was painful. “You’ll help me won’t you?? I don’t want to be lost in here...I’m so scared I won’t get out...I don’t want to go crazy!!” She shook Harleen hard enough that Harleen’s head snapped back and forth. “You have to help me!!” 

Harleen tried to push her off. “Let go of me!!” 

“You have to help me!!” Vickie’s rising hysteria made Harleen shudder, nausea flooding her stomach. “You have to…” 

Harleen snapped her fist up to belt Vickie across the chin. 

The hit snapped Vickie’s head back, breaking her hold on Harleen. The other woman stumbled back, disappearing into the gaseous mix that filled the room. 

Harleen turned just as she heard a scream and someone or something lunged out of the gassy haze, slammed into her, and knocked her to the floor. 

Harleen’s head hit hard. Between the amount of gas she had inhaled and the impact of her head against the floor, Harleen blacked out for a couple of seconds. Her eyes flew open just as hands went around her throat. The man on top of her was the other guard. There was blood leaking from his eyes, nose, and mouth as he choked the life from her. 

“You won’t hurt me again Mommy!! Never again!!” He screamed in her face while pressing his fingers into her throat. 

Harleen couldn’t breathe. She kicked her feet against the floor, thrashing under the man, reaching up to claw at his face. She couldn’t make any noises except a few strangled gurgles. Her eyes felt as if they were bulging as she struggled to breathe, but she couldn’t get any air into her lungs, couldn’t swallow… 

Her kicking weakened and the edges of her eyesight began to turn black. Harleen reached up weakly, but her fingers caressed her attacker's face as her strength began to leave her before her hands dropped to the floor with a dull thud. She was beginning to lose her sight and the face of the man above her began to fade when she saw a pale face emerge from the gassy haze behind the man’s shoulder. 

Joker had a few splatters of blood marring his perfect white complexion, and his green hair was a mass of chaotic curls, but he was smiling, a full toothed smile stretched across his face. His blue eyed gaze looked deadly, glittering with malice as he grabbed the guard by the hair on the top of his head and yanked the man’s head back to expose his throat. Harleen thought she saw the pulse in the man’s neck, beating rapidly as Joker used a letter opener to open the man’s throat. Dark red blood spilled down over the man’s front and dripped onto Harleen’s face. 

She didn’t have the breath to respond. 

The moment the man’s fingers loosened from around her throat, Harleen gasped desperately for air, sucking in deeply of the poisoned air. She started to cough painfully, her eyes watering and her chest burning. 

Joker threw the man’s body to the side, like so much trash, burying the bloody letter opener in the man’s torso before he hurried over to her. He didn’t ask if she was all right, didn’t check her throat. Instead he simply scooped her up into his arms, holding her tight against him. 

“Soooo much fear….” the horrible whispering voice hissed with delight. 

Harleen continued to cough, curling herself against Joker’s chest, her arms slipping around her shoulders, closing her eyes as more horrors began to take form in the haze around her. Joker moved swiftly, but Harleen didn’t see where they were going as she tried to block out the screaming, the whispering, fighting the fear that was building higher with every moment until she felt the shock of cold air. She held onto Joker tightly, the only thing keeping her from screaming and crying was her contact with him. 

After a few moments she opened her eyes, turning to look. 

Joker was outside and he was running, moving silently and quickly through the snow. She tried to focus, but the world kept wobbling, twisting, while the dark afternoon sky turned into a nightmare of shadows moving in the snow filled clouds. 

Joker could feel her tensing, feel the panicked beat of her heart against him. 

“Close your eyes Harley,” he urged as he carried her. 

She didn’t protest, closed her eyes and pressed her face against his shoulder trusting the psychopathic clown to get her someplace safe. 

* 

Harleen had lost all concept of time. She felt the biting cold outside contrasting with the warmth of his chest, of his arms around her. She felt the movement as he walked through the snowy outside, but it seemed like one moment they were in the snow, the next Joker was laying her down. She blinked several times as she realized they were in his cell. 

“What…” she started to ask, but Joker was gone. 

Harleen started to panic. The room was dark, the only light visible from the weak late afternoon grey that leaked through the small barred window. The shadows around her began to grow and shift, coming alive. She pulled herself into a tight ball on the cot, trying to push herself into a corner as the shadows began to push toward her. The hissing returned. 

Just as she was on the verge of screaming, Joker returned. 

“Lean your head back Harley,” Joker demanded. 

Shaking, Harleen did as he asked. She leaned her head back and gasped while Joker poured cold water into her eyes. The room felt like an ice box, but the added cold water to her face and eyes was still a shock. 

She started to pull away from him, but he grabbed her by her throat and held her still. His hand on her neck hurt and his fingers pressed against the bruises that were forming against her delicate skin, but he still managed to keep his touch gentle, while firm, pouring a little more water into her eyes before he let her go. 

“Now drink this.” He thrust the cup that held the rest of the cold water at her. 

There was perhaps half a cup of the icy water left, but she drank it down, not realizing how thirsty she was until the cold water hit her lips and tongue. She could feel the water as it traveled down her throat. It felt good even as it hurt to swallow. The sensation of cold continued through her chest, the cold spreading and chasing away a little of the panic, but it was when Joker took the cup away and cupped her face between his hands, staring intently into her eyes that Harleen really felt the panic truly start to ebb. 

“Are you all right?” he asked in a stern tone, forcing her to focus on his voice and face. 

Harleen stared back at him, hovering for a moment between terror and relief until she finally toppled over into relief. 

“Yes…” Her voice cracked and it was painful to speak, so she dropped her voice to a whisper. “Yes...I...I’m scared,” she relented with a whisper. “I heard and saw things...what happened?” she asked with a shudder, remembering the way Joker had sliced open that guard’s throat, but she found it hard for her to drum up anything more than simple concern over that guard’s life. If Joker hadn’t killed him, that man would surely have killed her. 

Joker caressed her cheeks with his thumbs and smiled. “Well. It seems our Dr. Crane likes to play with chemicals. He was a very bad boy.” Joker chuckled. “Untested drugs on patients...he might get a slap on the wrists for that one. Not sure what he made since it didn’t have an effect on me…” He grinned at her. “I like to play with chemicals too, and after my baptism, most chemicals do not affect me...Anyway.” He shrugged. “Not sure, but from the way everyone was acting, I would say the gas had something to do with messing with your fear response. Might have been fun under different circumstances...” 

Harleen swallowed again, her throat dry once more. “I...that makes sense. It...it was like my nightmares, things that scared me were in the room. And there were other...things. Thing I couldn’t see...” She shuddered, her heart rate picking up again. Joker dropped his hands from her face and pulled her close, laying her head on his shoulder before he pulled her gently down to lie on the cot with him. 

Harleen shifted to lay her head against his chest, while Joker’s long fingers brushed up and down her arm. “I was reminded of these awful things that happened to me…” Her voice broke again and she blinked back tears at the remembrance of past traumas. 

“You’re safe now,” Joker whispered. “We’re in my cell. We should be safe here for a while before anyone notices anything. I won’t let those fears hurt you Harley. I won't let anything--or anyone--hurt you.” He growled softly, “I’ll kill anything that comes near you.” 

“I should…” She started to push away from him. She needed to tell Dr. Strange what had happened, that people had died… 

“No…” Joker said firmly his hold on her tightening. 

“What’s happened has happened. Those people that are dead aren’t coming back just because you run to tell Strange or Arkham, Harls. Just stay with me until the effects of whatever gas Crane used wears off. I don’t think it would be wise for you to be running around these cold, dark halls in your present state, especially with someone playing murderer and roaming Arkham’s halls.” His smile was soft as he stroked some of her hair back behind her ears. “Stay with me for a while.” He caressed her cheek, then her ear and said a word he said very seldom except as a form of sarcasm. “Please…” This time, he meant it. 

“Maybe...maybe you’re right…” she whispered as she relaxed back against his chest. 

She still felt too rattled to leave the safety of Joker’s arms and the very thought of wandering those halls alone with who knew what out there waiting for her sent Harleen’s heart racing again. 

Joker was right, of course. She couldn’t help those people who were already dead, and by the time she found someone to help, they could all be dead. Why put herself at risk? 

“Shh, hush my darling…” Joker whispered, brushing his lips against her hair. “...my sweets...my pumpkin pie…” he purred and she could feel the rumble of his words in his chest. 

Harleen closed her eyes and leaned into him as he stroked her fear and pain away with his fingers brushing through her hair. 

“Tell me what you saw…” he whispered after a bit. 

“I don’t…” Harleen began, but Joker kissed the top of her head. 

“You need to tell me Harls, you need to release those fears. Fear is one of those aspects of human nature that keeps us down, keeps us from really experiencing life,” Joker murmured as he stroked her hair. “Life is ultimately a joke, just one big tragedy, which is why it's so funny that people struggle so hard to find meaning in it, or become scared. Why be scared? It’s funny, all of it: life, death, struggling to grasp something that you’ll ultimately lose. The only meaning I’ve ever found...was you,” he said with an air of delighted surprise as he smiled and gave her a squeeze. 

“Finding someone to share the laughter with, that’s such a gift that I wasn’t expecting. If you hold on to those old fears, they’ll have power over you, power to control you, and you’ll miss out on the fun and the laughter.” He kissed her hair again. “I’ve had so much fun since I stopped being scared Harls...though I suppose you ruined some of that because you gave me something to care about…” 

Harley looked up at him and he grinned. “I have you now, someone to share the laughter with in an otherwise dreary world filled with sourpusses like Batman.” He kissed her nose. “Tell me what scares you and it’ll lose its power to scare you again.” 

Harley smiled at him. “Maybe you’re right…” 

“‘Course I’m right sweets.” He chuckled. “I’ve danced a philosophical tango once or twice, but...” Tenderly, he caressed her jaw. “Tell me what made you so scared pumpkin.” 

Harleen frowned, rubbed her lips together before she spoke. Thinking about what she saw made her heart start to race again, fear creeping back into her blood. 

“The first one was spiders crawling out of the guard’s eyes…” She shuddered. “When I was a kid, there was this fat spider’s nest in the attic of our home. My father came to get rid of it, but it burst and I was under it…” She shuddered while Joker stroked her back. 

She continued. “Then there was this trip in high school. It was an overnight school trip to a farm…” She sighed. “Some girl named Bianca, along with her friends, tricked me into sneaking out to look at the horses. They trapped me in a stall with a horse and put a snake in with us. The horse was scared, because of all of us kids, and then the snake. I was terrified, the horse was huge, and I couldn’t get out...the animal kicked and broke my shoulder….” 

Joker’s eyes narrowed slightly as he listened. He would have to find out if this Bianca was still around...might have to pay her a visit when he left Arkham. 

“And the last thing I saw--before I was able to clear my head enough to look for you--was this party I went to in college...this boy, football player, cornered me. He was bigger and stronger than me, pinned me against the wall…” She shook her head dismissing the memory. “...anyway I got away from him before anything happened, but...I ended up getting lost on the streets after dark and this man attacked me, beat me up and took my purse.” Harleen sighed. “Broke one of my front teeth, busted my lip and even after the attack, I was still lost. It was hours before I found my way home.” She felt Joker tense while she spoke. She wrapped her arm around his waist, holding on tightly to him. 

“I really thought I had put those things behind me, had gotten over them. They happened so long ago…” She shook her head. “Then, as I was trying to find you, I saw Tetch. He had beaten the face of one of the orderlies in and Roman Sionis had cut off someone's face...and then there was the guard you killed...he called me his mother…” She shuddered. “Whatever Crane used seemed to take these terrors, bring them forward and amplify them. I saw things, shadows moving in the haze…” She shivered. “It was frightening...and I kept hearing this voice asking for me to tell him my fears…” Harleen took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “The only thing I could focus on was finding you.” She added softly. “...to get you out of there. If I hadn’t focused on that, I might have started to scream and I wouldn’t have been able to stop. Or worse.” 

Joker smiled, squeezing her. “Ah my sweet girl, worrying about me. Now, do you feel better?” 

Harleen frowned and thought a moment before she smiled softly while pressing her face against his chest. 

She did feel better. 

“I do,” she answered with feeling. 

“Good,” he whispered, running his fingers along her jawline. Harleen came up on her elbow as Joker guided her lips to his mouth. 

Harleen returned his kiss slowly, their tongues gently twisting and caressing together. She lifted up a little more, laying her hand against his chest. She grabbed up a fistful of his shirt, deepening their kiss. The passion she felt for him began to burn away the gas that still poisoned her blood. 

Joker made a soft growling moan and pushed himself up on his elbows, one hand on her upper arm, giving her a slow, steamy kiss filled with all the words he hadn’t said to her yet. The heat from the kiss warmed Harleen, chasing way some of the cold. He rolled her over onto her back, moving carefully and tightly so that they didn’t fall off the narrow bed. 

He kissed her for a few more seconds while Harleen pulled at his top, pulling it up his side. He pulled away from her, smiling as he sat up on his knees and pulled the Arkham Asylum issue top over his head. 

Harleen watched him with baited breath, her eyes raking over his pale chest and stomach, her heart thumping hard, but this time with desire, with need to be close to him. She wanted to lose herself in him, in his touch. She needed him to chase away the lingering nightmares. She sat up and reached for his pants to shoved them down his slender hips. 

Joker chuckled covering her hands with his, stopping her frantic movements. “You don’t have to rush Harley…” he said in a husky voice, stepping off the cot. She watched him, her breath shallow as he pushed the pants down his pale legs. He stepped out of his pants and Harleen saw his erection was already hard, the sight of which caused a flood of warmth between her legs. 

The horrors she saw, the shadows of past terrors were chased away as desire replaced her fear. Joker held his hand out to her and Harleen took it, letting him pull her to her feet. He smiled and grasped her doctor's coat, pushing the garment down her arms. She let it drop to the floor of his cell, her eyes never leaving his face as he gave her his wicked smile, a smile just for her. 

He grabbed the hem of her dress and pulled it up. Harleen put her arms up to let him pull the dress off over her head. He dropped the dress to the floor while Harleen shook her hair out. Stepping closer, Joker gazed down at her, his smile playing across his red lips as he reached behind her and deftly unhooked her bra, gliding the straps down her arms. A smile danced softly across his lips as he gazed at her breasts, the rosy, hard nipples, the fullness of her breasts making his erection throb. He next reached for her panties, leaning in to kiss her while at the same time he slid them down her hips. 

Harleen wiggled enough to let her panties slide down her legs and stepped out of them. She kicked them off her boots as she moved closer to him, her hands pressed against his pale, muscled chest. They stood naked, neither of them feeling the cold of the room, Harleen still in her boots. They kissed for a few more moments before Harleen stepped back and caught his face between her hands. Joker didn’t move as they stared into each other's eyes, two souls connected in a way that no one else could understand. He smiled and reached up to catch her chin with his thumb and forefinger. 

“You are mine,” he whispered. “I will kill anyone that comes between us Harley. When I leave here, you’re coming with me. I won’t leave without you.” His gaze held an uncharacteristic seriousness. “I can’t leave without you.” 

Harleen nodded back as she stared into his blue eyes, letting herself become lost in his intense gaze. “Yes, puddin…” 

Joker grinned at the nickname. “Puddin?” 

She nodded, smiling a little shyly. “Puddin...I don’t want to go without dessert anymore. I want to take it, grab it with both hands and hold on tight. I won’t let you go. I won’t let anyone take you from me and I don’t want to be scared again.” 

Joker’s smile widened a little more, his less than perfect teeth catching the little light in the room as did his eyes. “I like it,” he hissed, low and seductive. 

“Good.” Harleen pulled his face to her, capturing his mouth in a kiss that melted all the cold from the room. 

She kissed him with a passionate desperation, her need spiking into an unbearable need that only his touch could quench. 

As he ran his hands up her side, caressed her smooth skin, and felt the soft curves of her body, the way she formed to him as if she was meant for him, Joker smiled in wonder. Perhaps she was made for him by some chaotic god to be his equal, his clown...his harlequin. 

Slowly, his mouth moved from her lips to her throat, his tongue tracing the line of her pulse. Harleen gasped softly while arching her head back, shuddering as his tongue slid along her skin, moving lower and caressing her collarbone. He gently kissed his way down to her breasts, taking his time to trace around each of her nipples with his tongue, feeling her rapid heartbeat, her heart that beat quickly for him. He pressed another kiss between her breasts before following the flow of her body, his lips tantalizing her soft, velvet skin. 

Harleen groaned softly, looking down at him as he pressed his lips to her stomach, his hands on her hips. Joker slowly dropped to his knees in front of her as if worshipping at her feet. He glanced up, his eyes bright as he brushed his nose through the curling hair at her sex, inhaling the scent of her sex, his eyes fluttering with pleasure before he gently encouraged her to spread her legs. 

Harleen’s heart beat fast, her breath shallow as she gazed down at him, her fingers moving into the thick waves of his green hair just as Joker pressed a kiss between her legs. A shudder ran through Harleen’s body when his lips brushed her sex, but then he moaned, his breath hot against her sex, his tongue sliding out to gently seek and probe, causing goosebumps to rush over her body. 

Harleen groaned, brushing his hair back from his pale face. He closed his eyes as he licked and sucked at her, keeping his movements sweet and soft; her knees went weak when his tongue brushed across her clitoris. His hands slid up to grasp her rear, pulling her closer while his tongue explored her, licking, kissing, sucking with greater need. Harleen bit down on her bottom lip, trying to keep her balance while at the same time arching her back with a moan. “Ohh...Joker. My puddin…” 

Joker groaned in response to her using the nickname she had given him. He felt his groin throb in response, his erection almost painful while he buried his mouth more firmly against her sex, squeezing her hips as he tasted deeply from her. When her breath became more erratic, he knew he was drawing her close to a climax. He sucked gently, but firmly on her until he felt Harley snap and gasp for breath. There was a flood between her legs that he drank, pulling her close, lapping at her until he needed to breathe again. 

Her knees felt so weak that Harleen wasn’t sure she could keep standing, but when Joker pulled away from her sex, she gasped, a small whine of want mixed in and she stumbled a step. 

He smiled, glancing up at her, his lips wet and glistening as he gently took one of her legs and unzipped her boot. He removed the boot, setting it aside before he gently took her other leg to remove her other boot. 

Harleen kept her balance by keeping her hands on his shoulders. 

He stood up slowly, making Harleen feel petite and delicate. When Joker smiled down at her, reaching up to run his fingers through her hair, he whispered to her and Harleen swooned. 

“Harley…” 

Harleen gazed back at him. She wanted to tell him that she loved him, but she didn’t. She wasn’t sure what was holding her back, but she didn’t utter what she felt in her heart to be true. 

He reached out and lightly brushed her lips as if sensing what she wanted to say. He hesitated only a moment, staring at her lips, before he smiled and grabbed her, pulling her close, her body fitting perfectly against his own. 

When he kissed her, he kissed her deeply, all the while guiding her backwards to his bed. 

A shudder ran through her when she tasted herself on his lips. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, demanding more. 

Once her legs touched the bunk, Joker reached behind her to grab the blankets aside before he guided her down, reaching up to catch the back of her head as he eased her down, his body falling between her legs. He didn’t immediately slide into her, even though he ached to be inside Harley. Instead, he looked down at her, reaching up to caress her face, tracing the lines of her jaw, his fingertips lightly danced across her lips. 

Harleen reached up, doing the same, caressing his full lips, sharp cheekbones and long, narrow jaw. 

They didn’t say anything, didn’t need to exchange words. Joker captured her mouth again, kissing her while he reached down and slid his erection into her, burying himself deeply into Harleen’s willing body with a deep moan. She gasped against his mouth, sharing that moment of their bodies coming together, feeling him push inside her to fill her. Little quakes of pleasure rippled up through her body, starting in her groin and spreading wider like waves on the water. 

She wrapped her arms around Joker, her legs hooking around his legs. She thrust up to meet him as he began to thrust gently, but firmly into her. Harleen groaned against his mouth, her hands sliding along his shoulders as they gazed at each other, their bodies moving together. 

She came with a shudder, her fingers pressing into his shoulders, holding on as if she was afraid she would burst apart. She arched into him, her legs tightening around him, holding on as each thrust made her jerk and gasp. 

“Joker...Oh, uh..puddin…” Harleen arched, throwing her head back. 

He moved, rolling her onto their sides, and pulled her closer while wrapping his arms around her. Harleen wrapped one leg high on his hip while he pulled her tight, one of his legs sliding between hers as he thrust a little faster, firmer. She reached down to grab his ass as she thrust back in response. 

He shuddered, sliding a foot along her shapely leg, thrusting a little harder still at the same time staring into her eyes. Harleen stared back at him, their breaths mixing together as they met each others thrusts until Harleen gasped again, arching. She orgasmed, never breaking eye contact with him as he sent pleasure rolling through her until she felt tears in her eyes. 

Joker shuddered watching her beautiful expression as she came. He felt her tighten around him, holding him, her fingers digging into his ass as she flooded over him. He thrust, rolling his hips, gazing into her beautiful eyes, until he came with a deep groan, emptying himself deep inside her. 

Harleen pulled him closer, kissing him as they came together.


	18. Nightmare Aftermath

The next morning Harleen was awakened by a knock at her door. She grumbled and rolled over, pulling the covers over her head and reached for Joker only to find he wasn’t there. Her eyes snapped open. She remembered making love with Joker in his cell after the nightmares that Dr. Crane’s gas had forced on her. She shuddered at the memory of the shadows and the terrors, but after Joker had brought her back to her room, he had stayed with her, held her, and stroked her hair until she had fallen asleep. 

She frowned and felt a hitch in her chest. She hated waking up alone--a sudden new development--an issue she had never even thought of before, but here she was, heartbroken because she was alone in bed instead of having a psychotic clown next to her. God, what was she doing with herself, she wondered. How had she come to this? But the feelings of wanting Joker with her didn’t simply fade away because her rational mind told her this was bad for her. Instead, those feelings grew; that gnawing desperation to have his arms around her, to smell his skin, taste his lips... 

Harleen pressed her face against the sheets and smiled. She could still smell him on the sheets, the pillow case. How had she fallen in love with him? She had no idea, but she had fallen, she loved him and trusted him with her life, with her heart, something she had never trusted anyone else with… 

The knock at her door came again followed by Dr. Alyce Sinner’s voice muffled on the other side. “Harleen, are you in there? Are you okay? If you are in there, I’m opening the door!” 

Harleen started to panic, but as her hand came to her breast she realized she was dressed, though she didn’t remember putting on her night clothes last night. The bedroom door opened and Dr. Sinner came rushing in. The other woman stopped, a metal pipe in one hand and a medical bag in the other. She looked a bit crazed as she took in the room. When she saw Harleen in the bed her eyes widen, filled with a wild fear that quickly faded. 

Alyce sighed in relief, her entire body sagging, her arm holding the pipe dropped to her side. “Thank god you’re here.” 

She hurried over to Harleen’s bed, leaning the pipe against the wall before she sat down causing the bed to creak. 

“What’s going on?” Harleen asked, confused, pulling her blankets up as the chill started to seep through her and chasing off the lingering warmth from the bed. 

“Well, about an hour ago one of the guards realized that he hadn’t seen one of his buddies this morning. He went to speak with Dr. Strange who told him that his friend had been on duty with Dr. Crane last night, except no one has seen Dr. Crane either.” Alyce frowned as she reached for Harleen (who only just stopped herself from jerking away.) She very gently pulled Harleen’s eyelids up and examined her eyes while she spoke. “It was then Strange and some of the nurses and guards realized that Tetch wasn’t in his cell, and neither were Roman nor Nellie.” She let go of Harleen’s eyes and popped open her case that she pulled up onto her lap. “After that, some guards headed over to the old Arkham Manor with Dr. Strange and that’s when they found…” Alyce shrugged. “I guess what was left of the session. Everyone was dead except Tetch, Roman and Nellie, who by the way, is in a medically induced coma at the moment. That poor woman would not stop screaming.” 

Sinner grimaced. “Tetch was found pulling his fingernails out and babbling about tea. I had to sedate him. And Roman had cut off his face, or at least attempted to--he’d peeled most of the skin off.” She went pale at the memory and tried to focus on checking Harleen’s pulse while she talked. “So he's also in a medically induced coma with his face wrapped, lying up in the infirmary. All very nasty and bloody. The only one who didn’t hurt herself or get attacked was Nellie, but like I said, she wouldn’t stop screaming.” 

Harleen sat up straighter. She had heard everything Sinner had said, but she still blurted out, “What?” 

Alyce grinned though the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I know, gruesome. Anyway, when Strange realized that you and Joker were not with the others, they started to search for you in the last fifteen minutes or so. Oh, and Crane is still missing too. We found your coat at the old manor house, but no Dr. Quinzel!” She laughed a little lightly before adding. “Joker, oddly...” 

Alyce gave Harleen a strange look that Harleen couldn’t read as she wrapped a blood pressure cuff around her arm. “...was in his cell. He was just lying there grinning that grin everyone hates.” 

She shook her head, muttering, “Still don’t know how you work with that psychopath...Anyway, I offered to come search your room and here you are, safe and sound. Do you wanna tell me what happened?” Alyce tilted her head while she squeezed the blood pressure pump. 

Harleen fumbled around for her glasses while Alyce eased on the pump and watched the reader on the blood pressure cuff. Alyce reached over to Harleen and snatched her glasses up, handing them to the blonde. 

“Actually I don’t remember,” Harleen muttered while trying to slide her glasses on with one hand. 

“What do you mean you don’t remember?” Alyce asked, noting Harleen’s blood pressure and removing the cuff. 

Harleen got her glasses on and shrugged. “I mean I don’t remember. I remember the nightmares…” She shook her head and closed her eyes a moment. “Crane brought this canister with him. After Joker had been secured, he started to release some gas into the room. I remember Tetch suddenly became frantic and kicked over the canister. He must have broken something and that caused the gas to spew out and fill the air pretty quick.” She rubbed her fingers over her lips. “After that ,everything is fuzzy. I remember Joker laughing...screaming...and then I had these dreams...like nightmares, but so real.” Harleen wrapped her arms around herself and shivered from the memory more than the cold of the freezing room. “After that it’s a blank.” 

“So you have no idea how you got back to your room?” Alyce pulled out a thermometer from her case and slid it under Harleen’s tongue. 

Harleen shook her head. 

“Odd. Well, we should get you dressed, grab some hot coffee and head to Strange’s office. He’ll want to know that you’re all right.” Alyce took the thermometer out of Harleen’s mouth, noted the temperature and tossed it back into her bag. 

Harleen nodded. “Okay. So Crane is still missing?” 

Sinner nodded. “Yeah, pulled a Houdini, though it’s really not that hard on this island.” She winked at Harleen as she whispered playfully. “I know a place or two on this island that none of the senior staff--including Strange--knows about. If someone wanted to hide, there are a million places in Arkham to do it. I mean, look at our killer?” She grinned and the expression seemed odd to Harleen, more like something Joker would do when talking about murder. 

Alyce stood with a smile. “Anyway, I’ll be waiting for you downstairs with the hot coffee and a stale, cold muffin. Breakfast of champions,” she said with a laugh. 

Harleen watched her go, Alyce stopping at the door to give Harleen a wave before she shut it. 

Shivering, Harleen got out of bed a moment later with a frown on her lips. Crane was missing. Harleen had to ask herself, how much of that gas did the doctor have and was it something to worry about? She also wondered if Crane could be their angel killer? As she headed into her bathroom shivering harder, she wasn’t sure if Crane seemed the type, but after last night she couldn’t be sure of anything. 

She washed quickly, freezing by the time she was finished. 

She pulled on a long grey cowbell neckline dress with wide sleeves that came to the middle of her forearms. Her dress wasn’t the most attractive outfit she had, but the knit was warm and tight, and it was still a dress, which she knew Joker would like. That thought made an intense blush rush through her. She did remember last night, in his cell. The feel of his tongue between her legs, his shaft inside her, thrusting... 

She giggled and she was suddenly warm enough that she thought she could wade through the snow without a coat. She pulled her hair up into a bun on the top of her head, a few tendrils falling out in soft curls around her face and finished with just a little bit of mascara on her eyes and a light gloss on her lips. She pulled on her boots--which were quickly becoming her only footwear--and slipped on her doctor’s coat and headed downstairs to meet Dr. Sinner. 

* 

Alyce was indeed waiting for her holding a styrofoam cup with hot, black coffee and a cold blueberry muffin. Harleen thanked Alyce and took the meager breakfast. She bit into the muffin, her stomach rumbling at her, reminding her that she was starving as the two women waded out into the snow. 

Another inch had fallen during the night and the air felt frigid. The sky was a solid grey, making Harleen feel as if they weren’t just cut off from Gotham, but from the rest of the world, as if Arkham Asylum was trapped in a snowglobe. There was nothing beyond the edges of the island and the grey water that surrounded them They were lost and alone, a circle of madness that was slowly devouring them all. She shivered. 

Strange’s office was packed with the doctors from the senior staff that were still on the island. It was uncomfortable for them all in Stange’s office, standing around rubbing shoulders, but Harleen had to admit that with all of them in the office, they were a great deal warmer than if they had met in the regular meeting room. 

Strange sat behind his desk looking like a king holding court. 

Dr. Arkham was nowhere to be seen. 

Huntoon was the first one to speak once everyone was assembled. Of course Harleen thought with a roll of her eyes. 

“So no one has found Crane yet?” Huntoon looked like he wanted to slam his hands down on Strange’s desk, but had the good sense to restrain himself, which Harleen found surprising. 

Strange looked up at Huntoon and the gaze in the man’s eyes was colder than the air outside. “No, we haven't yet.” 

“Well, why not? He’s obviously the killer. We need to find him and lock him up or try to get a hold of the police!” Huntoon snarled. 

Strange remained calm and said in an even tone. “First, Dr. Huntoon…” Strange said Huntoon’s name with just enough disgust that Harleen grimaced. “We do not know that Crane is the one who killed that patient. There is no evidence…” 

“What about what he did with that gas??!” Huntoon demanded with Vane adding at the same time that he shot Harleen a nasty look. 

“What about Dr. Quinzel? She was supposedly there, but it looks like Dr. Sinner found her safe and sound and Joker was in his cell. Why? How? Unless maybe they were in on it.” He smirked as Harleen’s eyes widened. 

“What?'' she nearly shouted, taking a step toward Vane, but Alyce put a hand on Harleen’s shoulder and stopped her. Harleen’s hands had balled into fists so tight that her short nails were pressing into her palms painfully. 

Vane shrugged. “What do you mean ‘what?’ You were supposedly there at Crane’s sessions yet you and Joker are unharmed where the rest are either dead, in medical comas, or maimed in some way. Why aren’t you? Unless you were helping Crane with his little experiment.” 

Harleen hissed. “You sonofabitch!” 

Strange smacked the flat of his hand down on his desk creating enough of a sound that all of the doctors in the room were startled into being quiet. “Enough!” 

The doctors all jumped and turned their attention to Strange who narrowed his eyes at them all. “To answer Huntoon’s question: We still cannot contact Gotham. I have as many men as I can spare searching for him. There are only so many places Crane can go. If he tries to hide in the surrounding wood, he’ll freeze to death, so it stands to reason that he's still inside the asylum since the manor house has been thoroughly searched. Without his gas, I doubt that Crane is dangerous. He probably simply realized that he overstepped...And this is all assuming that Crane was not adversely affected by his own gas.” 

Huntoon opened his mouth, but Strange cut him off. “I will speak with Dr. Quinzel, unless there is anything you would like to say right now?” He turned his attention to her. 

Harleen shook her head. “I don’t remember what happened, Dr. Strange. I remember the gas that Crane brought and I remember these terrible nightmares like...illusions or maybe more like hallucinations?? I guess…” She frowned, clearly uncomfortable. She could feel the eyes of the other doctors on her as she continued. “I experienced nightmare images, but after that I have no memory of how I got back to my room.” She frowned and shrugged. “I can only assume I got Joker back to his room and myself to my own room while Joker and I were under the influence of Crane’s gas.” She shrugged. “But I can’t say for sure.” 

Strange nodded his understanding spreading his hands out on his desk. “I am personally looking through the notes Crane had on the gas that I found in his office. His notes indicated that he used blue poppies, LSD, amphetamine, benzodiazepines--and some other drugs I have never heard of.” Strange frowned, clearly not happy at having to admit that last part. 

He glanced down at his desk while he continued. “I do not believe the unidentifiable drugs are anything used here in the States,” he added as he looked back at Harleen and smiled at her. “I'm sorry for your horrific experience, Dr. Quinzel, but I am also proud that your abilities as a doctor saw you through this episode and you were able to secure the Joker and get yourself safely back to your apartment.” He looked around the room. “I’m sure we are all pleased with that outcome.” 

There was a round of murmured agreements with a few of the doctors patting Harleen on the shoulder. 

Huntoon and Vane both blustered with Vane snarling. “Sir! You cannot simply take her word…” 

“And why not Dr. Vane? She has proven herself to be a good--no--a great doctor. Unlike you or anyone else here, she has gotten the Joker under control and it is clear that this incident was all Crane’s doing. Now in regards to the body, I am inclined to think that perhaps Crane may know something about this, but as for Dr. Quinzel, she is innocent and simply doing her job as a professional. Maybe you should follow her example, Dr. Vane.” 

Dr. Vane slammed his hands down on Strange’s desk leaning toward the older man in what could only be a threatening gesture. “You cannot seriously be taking the word of that...that woman!” 

All the women in the room gasped and Alyce looked at Harleen, her eyes narrowed. 

Strange stood up. “That’s enough Dr. Vane.” Strange seemed to loom over the other psychiatrist, his presence imposing despite his age. 

Vane took a step back as Strange continued. “Now, I want all of you to go back to work, do your jobs as best you can, make sure your patients are fed and as warm as they can made possible. I am considering having some of our less dangerous patients moved into sharing rooms to help with the heating issue until the generator can be fixed. Now, unless you have any questions in regards to your duties, I suggest you all get to work and leave finding Crane to me and the security staff.” 

There was some muttering among the doctors, but most of it was not directed at Strange, but at getting out of the office and trying to do what they could for their patients under the circumstances. Everyone wanted to act like everything was normal despite all aspects to the contrary. 

Just as Harleen turned to leave, Dr. Vane pushed past her, grabbing her shoulder and shoving her out of the way without a word, causing Harleen to stumble into Alyce. Dr. Huntoon was right behind him and made a point of shouldering Harleen out of his way. Alyce grabbed a hold of Harleen helping her stay on her feet as the others filed out. 

“Fucking schoolyard bullies…” Harleen snarled under her breath as she headed out of Strange’s office. 

Alyce snorted. “Yeah, a lot of men still don’t like smart women working in their spaces, but those two are a special sort of sexist pig,” she said with scorn in her tone. “I should have warned you about Vane--he can turn on you like that....” She snapped her fingers and chuckled. “He was like that with a nurse friend of mine who worked here. One moment he’s the perfect gentleman, every girl's dream, the next he flips, turning his head like that chick in The Exorcist.” She shrugged. “A lot of men are like that, nice until they don’t get their way. And a bunch of liars.” Alyce smiled as she walked beside Harleen. “Then there are the women who put up with men acting like that.” She shook her head. “Not sure who is worse…” she muttered but then she said with a smile, “You have to give it to the male patients here, most of them you’re getting to see their dark side right away, no surprises really.” She smiled at Harleen in a way that made her feel like Dr. Sinner knew about her sleeping with the Joker, except that was impossible...Harleen pressed her lips together. It had to be impossible or else Harleen was in bigger trouble than she thought. 

Harleen decided not to comment and instead sighed, stretching her arms over her head. “So, you said you knew about secret places in Arkham?” She kept her tone light as she had spoken since Alyce hadn’t mentioned these secret places in regards to the search for Crane and she wondered why. 

“Yes, there are a lot of secret places in Arkham.” Alyce smiled as if she had the best secret in the world. 

“If...if there are secret places in Arkham, why didn’t you mention them to Strange?” Harleen asked, keeping her tone carefully neutral. She didn’t want Alyce angry with her for some reason. 

Harleen felt as if she was racking up the enemies. Granted, it was only Drs. Vane and Huntoon, but two enemies were a lot more than what she had before coming to Arkham and who knew who was listening to their lies about her. She could have more enemies than she thought. 

Alyce shrugged in response to Harleen’s question. “Didn’t see the need to because one, Strange probably knows about them, and two, if he doesn’t, Arkham does. Three, I didn’t feel like sharing with the rest of the class because Huntoon and Vane don’t need to know. And four, I doubt Crane knows about them.” 

“But what about this murderer, the one who left the angel body?” Harleen asked, but Alyce shrugged. “Personally I think that was Crane. Probably sniffed a little too much of his own gas.” Alyce shook her head with a small smile. 

“You’re being awfully cavalier about a possible murderer running around,” Harleen added which made Alyce laugh. 

“I’ve been working at Arkham for a few years, a lot of these patients are murderers. Hell, I’ve been here when Joker has made some of his escapes--they are never pretty and are always bloody. One body posed like an angel on this island is nothing…” 

Harleen cut her off. “But there was that other one…” 

“That no one saw,” Alyce pointed out. “Except a man and guard who were gone the next day. No one saw this body. Besides, one gruesomely posed body isn’t enough to make me scared.” Alyce shrugged. “I work at Arkham,” she repeated and laughed. 

Harleen had nothing to say to that. 

Alyce smiled again, shoving her hands in the pockets of her doctor's coat. The cold seemed to have little effect on Alyce Sinner Harleen noted as the other woman walked briskly beside her. 

“How would you feel about meeting with me after dinner tonight? I want to show you something.” Alyce said softly. 

“Something?” Harleen asked with a frown. “Like what?” 

“I want to show you the real Arkham,” Alyce said with something in her voice that Harleen couldn’t identify. 

“I...I guess so,” Harleen replied but for some reason she felt a shiver run up her spine. 

Alyce grinned and gave Harleen’s upper arm a squeeze. “Just meet me at the nurses station where Joker was first kept before you had him moved okay? Say around, eight tonight?” 

Harleen nodded. “Yeah, all right.” 

Alyce nodded and gave Harleen a wave as she deviated down another hall. “Great, see you then. I’ll bring some coffee!” 

Harleen frowned watching Alyce go thinking to herself she wasn’t sure how she felt about seeing the “real” Arkham, or what that even meant. 

* 

Before Harleen was to have Joker’s therapy session, she stopped to check on Nellie (Vickie Vale) who was being kept in the infirmary. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was morbid curiosity to see if the reporter really was in a coma, but either way she headed to the infirmary. 

When Harleen arrived she saw that there were a handful of patients here and a couple of Arkham’s staff, all of them looking pale and sick. Harleen frowned. Great, that was all they needed with the storm cutting them off with no heat was for everyone to start getting sick. 

She made her way over to Vickie’s bed ,which was cordoned off by a curtain from the rest of the room. The young woman lay on her back. She had a tube running up into her nose and another in her mouth. She was covered in blankets up to her chin. For a moment Harleen thought about how easy it would be to simply press a pillow to her face, cutting off her breathing...one problem gone. Poof. 

The thought bounced through Harleen’s head, ricocheting back and forth, causing Harleen to step closer to Vickie’s bed without realizing she had moved until she was standing over the reporter, her hands on the raised sides of the hospital bed. She stood still, watching the reporter breathe, her hands coming up to grip the raised side, her hands wrapped right around the metal bar until her knuckles turned white. 

It would be so easy and no one would even realize what had happened, especially now with the cold, the lack of staff, and as far as anyone would be concerned, Nellie would be just another forgotten Arkham patient, no one knowing her true identity except Harleen and she wasn’t going to tell. She had promised. 

The thought was so tantalizing that Harleen even reached for the pillow under Vicki’s head before she stopped herself and pulled her hand back. What on earth was she thinking? 

Harleen went still, horrified at herself, but even as she was horrified, the thought of ending Vicki Vale’s life, taking care of the inconvenience of the woman still felt like a rational, easy idea. 

Rubbing her lips together, Harleen stared at Vicki’s still form for a few more seconds before she stepped back and turned to walk quickly out of the infirmary. 

* 

Instead of trying to find a guard to help her with Joker, she decided just to get him herself. She knew most of the guards were searching for Crane and no one would really be paying too much attention to what she was doing with her patient as long as she had him in a straightjacket and cuffed. She didn’t need any help anyway, she thought with a smile. 

Harleen instead went in search of something to bring her lover as a treat. 

Luckily for her, she ran into a couple of nurses who were hanging out in one of the halls smoking instead doing something that resembled their job. The two women were chatting quietly, huddled together in their winter coats. The air around them was filled with smoke and the cold puffs from their breath. They were leaning over their cigarettes, smoking, probably trying to adsorb as much of the weak heat from the cigarettes that they could. 

When they spotted Harleen, both nurses went still. She could almost see the frantic urge in their eyes to put their cigarettes out and try to hide that they had been smoking. 

“Excuse me…” Harleen called out, further drawing the two women’s attention. 

One of them tossed the remains of her cigarette onto the floor putting the burning butt out with her shoe. “Sorry doctor, what can I help you with?” Her companion had turned and put her back to Harleen and continued to smoke her cigarette. 

Smiling Harleen stopped next to the one that had spoken to her. “I was wondering if I could get a couple of cigarettes from you, and maybe a match…” When the woman looked hesitant Harleen pulled out the two dollar bills she had stuffed in her coat pocket for the vending machines. (She had thought about going to the vending machines in the cafeteria for cigarettes, but when she had passed by them Harleen had seen they were empty. She wouldn’t be surprised with everyone being trapped that someone hadn’t hit the cigarette vending machines and emptied them out to sell cigarettes, making a good profit too. A good way to make money was selling cigarettes to people trapped and unable to get off the island to get cigarettes.) 

The nurse looked at the crumpled dollar bills and shrugged. “Sure, why the hell not?” She pulled out the pack from the front pocket of her nurse’s uniform and pulled out two cigarettes which she handed to Harleen who gave her the two dollars. The nurse pulled out a match from her matchbook and handed it to Harleen. 

Smiling Harleen shoved all of them into her coat pocket. “Thanks.” 

The nurse smiled. “Thank you Dr. Quinzel.” 

* 

Harleen left the two nurses and made her way down the halls of Arkham to Joker’s room. She didn’t pass anyone else on her way down the hall, no orderlies, nurses, or guards. It felt eerie. There was not a sound down here, the hall was filled with shadows since the lights didn’t work at the moment, and the light from outside was dull grey, which combined with the cold, created an atmosphere that made Harleen feel as if she were walking the halls of a deserted and haunted asylum. She had a flashlight with her in order to navigate the building since most of the halls didn’t have windows. The entire experience made her feel secluded, lost, abandoned even. 

She looked around--not for the first time--and saw no one here. The only sound she heard was the wind and the icy sound of snow hitting the windows. 

Shivering, Harleen's steps picked up until she was at Joker’s door. She glanced around one more time, using her flashlight to chase away shadows before pulling the keys out of her pocket and opening the door. She slipped in, beginning to close the door behind her only to be grabbed and spun around by a cool hand which came down over her mouth once she was spun around. In a moment a body pressed up against her, forcing her back against the door. The weight of their bodies caused the door to snap shut. The sound seemed to echo through the deserted halls. 

Everything happened so quickly that Harleen dropped the flashlight which hit the floor with a loud thunk and rolled away into the darkness of the cell. 

Harleen knew it was Joker, knew the moment he touched her, the smell of his skin, the feel of him, and when he pressed his body against hers they melded together, two halves that were meant to be one. 

Harleen went still, her hands shook slightly; she knew it was Joker, perhaps it was just the cold? 

Joker’s hand slowly slipped away from her mouth taking the time to trace her lips with the tip of one finger before his fingers glided along her jaw, caressing her skin. He was so close that she didn’t need the light to see his face, his blue eyes glowing in the darkness. 

“There’s my Harley,” he whispered. “I missed you.” 

Harleen swallowed, her heart thumping hard in her chest, in her ears, her hands sweating, but the need she felt for him burned bright. “I missed you too puddin.” She smiled a little. “I brought you a treat, a couple of cigarettes.” 

He smiled and she could feel his smile more than see it before he kissed her. Joker wrapped his arms around her, gathering her close and kissed her as if there was no tomorrow. She responded to his kiss with a small, needy sound of desperation, her arms going round his neck, raising up on her toes to return his kiss. Joker lifted Harley off her feet and carried her to his bunk, setting down on the edge of his bed. 

Harleen straddled him, her hands going to his hair, her kiss growing more desperate, hungry. Joker was like a drug. Once she was around him, touching him, within his sphere, she couldn’t get enough of him. She wanted more of him. Her body burned as if she needed a fix and she didn't care how wrong all of this was--she needed him. 

Her hands ran down his front, feeling the thin cloth of his uniform top and the play of muscles underneath, sliding lower until she was at the band of his pants. She made a little sound, half moan, half pout, and tugged at them. She could feel the heat of his erection, feel the hard bulge of him, which only fed her aching desperation. 

“Puddin…” she moaned. 

Joker chuckled softly, but his voice sounded husky with his own need. “Impatient Dr. Quinzel?” 

She playfully caught his bottom lip with her teeth, causing his chuckle to become more heated. First he pulled his shirt off over the top of his head, dropping it off the side of the cot, then he lifted up, taking Harley with him when she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her legs around his waist, and pulled his pants down to let them drop to his knees before he sat back down again. 

He tugged at her dress, lifting the material up to her waist before he slid his hands along her thighs and hips only to quirk a green eyebrow at her. 

“No panties?” he purred with a mix of humor and pleasure. 

“Nope,” Harley purred back with a light giggle in her voice, brushing her nose against his, her lips hovering over his. 

“Smart girl,” Joker growled squeezing her hips at the same time he pulled her down, rubbing the warm wetness of her against his throbbing erection. He captured her mouth again in a deep kiss, his hands sliding up her back, shoving her dress and doctor’s coat up further. 

“I want you.” Harley groaned and she didn’t feel the cold as long as Joker held her. “I need you.” Her fingers caressed through his hair. 

Joker rubbed his nose against hers with a murmured, “Yes…” 

He reached down and adjusted himself holding his shaft at the same time that Harley positioned herself over him. He groaned, biting his bottom lip, rubbing himself against her for a few seconds, feeling the warm, inviting slickness of her opening. When Harley started to push herself down on him, he shuddered. 

“Harley…” he groaned again. 

Digging her fingers into his shoulders, Harley moaned, easing herself down, feeling the delicious pressure as he entered her, filling her, feeding the hunger she had for Joker. Harley pressed down on his lap, arching her back while she pressed her knees against the mattress and started to grind, riding him with all her might. 

Grasping her ass, Joker held on and watched Harley, the beautiful expression on her face, her glasses slightly crooked, the way tendrils of her blonde hair fell around her face--and more coming loose from her bun as she bounced--as his Harley fucked him. The thought combined with the action made Joker’s body tense. His girl, fucking him. Joker groaned loudly. He pulled her dress up higher until he exposed one of her breasts. He yanked the cup of her bra down and ravished her nipple with his tongue, drawing a sharp hiss from Harley, her hands grabbing handfuls of his green hair. He switched breasts, sucked on her other nipple, and groaned each time she thrust. God, she felt good, so good. 

Harley dragged his face back to hers and kissed him desperately. Alternating her grinds with bounces, the cot protested, squeaking against the bolts that held it to the wall. When she came, it was like an explosion, a burst of hot, blinding pleasure that caused her to arch back and cry out loudly. 

Joker grinned, shuddering as he pulled her hips close, pale fingers pressing into her soft pink skin and thrust back, his own orgasm building at a quickened pace until he growled, bowing his back as he yanked her close. 

Harley grabbed his mouth in another searing kiss the moment she felt him cum inside her triggering ripples that rolled through Harley’s body, causing a cascade of orgsams, the little bursts like fireworks. 

Slowly, gently, they both stopped moving together until Joker collapsed back against his cot, his head leaning against the wall. “Damn,” he muttered with a grin. 

Harley lay sprawled on top of him and hissed, “God I hope no one heard that.” 

Joker laughed, she could feel his chuckle deep inside her which made her smile. “I wouldn’t worry. Last person I saw was at breakfast.” 

Harley looked up, resting her chin against his chest. “No guards, nothing?” 

He shrugged. “Nothing my dear. So…” he grinned, reaching down to stroke the strands of loose blonde hair behind her ear. “You heard anything about last night? About Crane?” 

Harley kissed his pale chest, unwilling and maybe unable (her legs felt weak) to move. “Only that he’s missing. The orderlies, nurses, and guards that were there last night are dead. Vickie Vale is in a medically induced coma, as is Roman Sionis, and Tetch are the only ones to live. Plus us.” 

“Crane’s missing. Interesting,” Joker said softly as he absently rubbed his fingers along her thigh. “I wonder where our good doctor is hiding.” 

Harley continued to kiss his chest “You think he’s the killer?” 

Joker chuckled. “No. No I don’t, though I do admire his skill with the gas. I would love to sit down and speak to him about that--interesting stuff.” 

“You said you knew who it was,” she murmured, rubbing her cheek against his ghost white skin. 

“I might,” Joker answered without commitment. 

“But you don’t think it’s Crane?” Harley questioned and Joker laughed. 

“No, not Crane. And it’s not me, I promise. I wouldn’t keep it a secret if it was me.” He grinned kissing the top of her head. “I like to announce my murders, make a show of it. Batsy loves it when I do that. I like to make it really entertaining. No, the person who killed our angel is wanting to make a statement, after sticking to the darkness of Arkham Asylum, they are wanting to show themselves. Not sure why though, after all this time...” he murmured. “Something must have recently changed for them. Maybe someone showed up, someone they are wanting to impress…” He frowned, glancing down at Harley as an uncomfortable feeling began to twist in his stomach. 

Harleen didn’t notice his expression as she lightly ran her fingers over his chest, tracing his nipple while she spoke. “Dr. Alyce Sinner was telling me this morning that Akrham has all these secret areas.” 

Joker nodded laying his head back down as he continued to play his fingertips over her thighs. “It does. Lots of secret tunnels, hidey holes...Dr. Sinner knows about them, eh?” He glanced down at the top of her head. 

Harleen nodded. “Yes.” 

“Interesting...though I suppose it makes sense, she has been here a long time. I wonder why I’ve never tried to kill her,” Joker said with a grin. “Not really had much interaction with Dr. Sinner I suppose…” Joker shrugged and continued his lazy caresses, his finger moving up to her hips again. 

“She wants to show me something tonight she said, something about the real Arkham. She wants me to meet her...down where you were originally being kept,” Harleen said softly. She felt Joker tense. When he spoke there was a change in his voice, a tension that hadn’t been there before. 

“Did she say what exactly she wanted to show you?” he asked. 

“All she said was that she wanted to show me the real Arkham.” Harleen sat up, the movement finally causing his semi soft erection to slide out of her. Harleen made a small noise of displeasure when their bodies separated, but she continued to sit on his lap with Joker looking up at her. 

Joker frowned looking up at her, his hands coming up to caress her bare stomach just as her dress fell down over his hands. 

“Don’t go,” he said flatly. 

“Why not?” Harleen asked while she caressed his pale stomach. 

He sighed. “You’re really naive.” 

Harleen frowned, looking slightly offended. “I am not.” 

Joker smiled and pushed himself up, then back so that his back was against the wall pulling Harleen with him, not really caring that he was smearing their fluids on his thighs and hers. He settled back again and held her close. 

“You are sweets. Even dealing with me you’ve been naive the entire time.” He brushed his nose against hers. “My sweet, innocent Dr. Quinzel. There are things down there you aren’t gonna want to see. That is where they keep us, the patients with no hope, the lost causes, the real heart of darkness to this place.” He kissed the side of her mouth. “You’ve not really seen how dark I am Harley. What I’m really capable of…” 

Harleen frowned, running her fingers through his hair. “You're a man,” she said softly. “You’ve been traumatized…” She didn’t get to finish before Joker and rolled her over, slamming her down on her back against the cot with his hand on her throat. Harleen squeaked in surprise, her eyes widening, her glasses knocked askew. 

She trembled, feeling his fingers tighten around her throat. “I’m a monster Harley. I’m the thing that you should be scared of in the darkness, under the bed. I kill people and I don’t really care. I think it's funny because nothing matters and their little lives don’t matter, not to me and certainly not to the world. What does matter is the show, the performance. What’s down there, in the belly of Arkham, is bad. Some of the worst, unredeemable villains are stuffed down there and forgotten, and I’m their leader, the worst of the worse, the Clown Prince of Crime, the Harlequin of Hate, the Pale Man, the Devil’s Jester, I am all those things Harley. Do you understand that?” Joker growled. His fingers were tight, just enough to hurt, but he wasn’t cutting off her breath though she knew they might leave bruises behind. She stared into his eyes. His blue eyes were flat, but only for a moment before they softened and he smiled, his grip becoming lighter and more gentle. 

“I just don’t think you understand just how bad a man I am Harley, my sweet. That’s what makes you naive.” He purred, leaning down to brush his nose against hers, keeping his hand around her throat though his grip was gentle. “Will you still love me when you know? When you really know?” he asked. 

“I do know,” Harley insisted. “I’ve read your file Joker, I’ve read about every crime, every atrocity. I’ve seen the pictures, I know what you are and I don’t care. I love you. You can kill everyone in this asylum, everyone in Gotham, and I’ll still love you.” She spoke with sincerity, her voice slightly rough with emotion. “I know what kind of monster you are.” Harley stared back at him. “And I love you. There is nothing you can do that will stop me from loving you. Even if you killed me...I’d love you as I die.” 

Joker tilted his head at her, studying her, his gaze a mix of curiosity, surprise and love, and she could see the love in his eyes for her. He said nothing, only studied her face for a moment before he kissed her, a deep, passionate kiss. His thumb caressed her throat while his tongue licked and twisted with hers. At the same time he crawled on top of her, sliding between her legs, pulling her dress up. She could feel he was hard again. His hand on her throat remained firm, holding her in place while his other hand reached down between them to guide his erection into her once more. 

Harley groaned, the hardness of him thrust into her and she didn’t care what horrors Joker did or what kind of monster he was, all she knew was that she loved him, loved all of him, his darkness, his demons, everything that made the Joker who he was, she loved. She would follow him into any darkness as long as they were together. 

She would willingly become part of the darkness...part of his darkness. 

He continued to kiss her, the kiss passionate with an undercurrent of tenderness, at the same time he thrust steadily into her, their bodies coming together in the darkness of his room. 

Harley wrapped her legs around his, meeting his thrusts with her own, caressing his shoulders and back, giving herself up to him. She loved him and he loved her, and that was all the mattered. 

Holding her tightly while he thrust into her, Joker groaned. He didn’t know why she had come into his life, but Harley was now everything to him. He would face his darkness with her, together, because now he couldn’t face life without her. He had thought playing with Batman was what made his life worth living, but now he knew he had been wrong. It was Harley, she was what made life and the game worth continuing, his partner to share the chaos with. 

While he thrust into her, he thought about how he couldn't protect her from what he was; all he could do was love her. 

She would break or she would endure. 

The room filled with the sounds of their panting, their hot breath making clouds in the cold air mixed with the sounds of their bodies coming together until they peaked as one, both of them crying out, sharing their climax. 

* 

Harleen had promised Joker she would return to see him after she had finished her business with Dr. Sinner. He had tried one more time to convince her not to go, but in the end he had shrugged, caught her face with his hand before he kissed her and again whispered. “My brave, silly girl.” 

The temperature in the asylum had grown colder as night settled and the lack of heat was becoming more and more of a problem. Down here Harleen could see ice on the walls. She had gone back to her apartment and grabbed some earmuffs as well as a scarf which she had wrapped around her throat, part of it pulled up to cover her nose and mouth. 

Some of the staff had taken to making fires in the building, whether it was inside metal trash cans or using some sort of metal tubs, anything that could contain a fire and add some warmth was being used, though there had been some good news this afternoon. Cash thought they might have the spare generator working soon so the asylum might be getting some heat, at least a little bit. Harleen hoped that might mean some hot water. 

She had just gotten off the elevator when she saw Dr. Sinner waited for her with a flashlight down the hall. She turned when the elevator opened and waved when she saw Harleen. 

“There you are--come on.” Alyce smiled and waved again. 

Harleen felt her stomach roil a little. 

Joker had warned her again about what she would see down here and as she walked briskly toward Dr. Sinner, a loud cry suddenly sounded from down the hall, a cry filled with anguish mixed with something dark. The sound made Harleen’s skin crawl. 

Alyce smiled, her expression eager. “Oh, I guess the monsters are awake. Let’s go have a look.”


End file.
